So, it's Tuesday, which means it's a What's for Dinner day. But I'm trying out something a little different. So far, I've focused on our dinner staples, fun dinners, and special treats. But over the past few months, between weeks of nausea and moving and traveling and the holidays and finding several dozen restaurants right across the street which not only cook but also wash the dishes, we've really lost our footing on the dinner front. I've been hard pressed to come up with anything to make for dinner (that doesn't involve frozen dumplings).

But when I go online, I see dozens of recipes that look tasty or easy or like they'd stretch our culinary boundaries. So why am I not making them? Let's remedy that. Today I'm inaugurating the WDF feature That's Pinteresting (I know, the cleverness) in which I take a recipe I found interesting, on Pinterest or the Interwebs in general - hell, maybe even from a book - and try it out. Then I'll report back: Yay, nay, suggested changes, that sort of thing. Without further ado, I bring you Lemony Kale Pasta.

This recipe, which I found on Pinterest, had a lot going for it. It's got six ingredients - nine if you count olive oil, salt and pepper as ingredients - comes together in the time it takes to cook pasta, and involves kale. And cheese. I'm a big believer in redeeming food - meaning I'm happy to eat a bowl full of cheesy pasta if I throw plenty of veggies into it - so this was really up our alley. The recipe is Spaghetti with Kale and Lemon from Bev at Bev Cooks. I made only minimal changes, and my cooking technique's just not as good as hers - for example, where she "blooms" garlic and hot pepper flakes, I burn them - but even with the burned garlic, we loved the result. This will definitely be a staple for us. Care to try it?

Lemony Kale Pasta (Recipe lightly adapted from Bev Cooks)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

Up to 1 pound of pasta (Bev uses spaghetti. I used whole wheat. Use whatever you have). I used a bit less than a pound and made up for it with lots of kale.
I bunch kale, preferably baby (If you can only find grownup kale, strip the leaves off the stalks and rip into bite-sized pieces)
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely diced
1 healthy pinch red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
2 - 4 tablespoons sunflower seeds (pine nuts would also be yummy)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan, romano or asiago cheese, plus more to garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Rinse and tear your kale leaves. Spin or pat dry. Zest and juice your lemon and grate your cheese.

2. Bring a pot of well-salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat (I wouldn't make this too hot, or it's really easy to burn your garlic, and though I do it and eat it all the time, burned garlic is a bit bitter). Add garlic and red pepper flakes, allow to season oil for about 30 seconds, and then add kale. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Allow to wilt for about a minute; add lemon juice and zest and sunflower seeds. Turn heat to low and allow to continue cooking, to keep wilting and softening the kale, while the pasta finishes. Toss frequently.

4. When pasta is al dente, reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the rest. Add the pasta to the pan (I actually used a wok) and toss to combine. Add pasta water to moisten well. Add cheese and toss. Be sure to add and toss water before the cheese, or you may end up with a clump of poorly distributed cheese.

5. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, garnish with more cheese, and serve. Enjoy!