Sautéed Kale with Lemon

Another original recipe by my hubby!  He took some kale and sautéed it up with some bright and fresh lemon juice, grilled onions and a little bacon to make a delicious and healthy side dish for some grilled chicken. Kale can be tough and bitter if not cooked properly, it's important to cut out the tough center of the stalks and add in some acid (lemon juice in this case) to break down the leaves slightly.  It is a nutrient packed veggie, and it's still in season, so give it a try.

Recipe: (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 head of kale
1 medium yellow onion
1 piece of bacon (uncured to avoid nitrates)
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to hot pan.  Cut onion in half and then into 1/8-1/4 inch slices, add to pan and saute for 3 minutes
2. Mince garlic and add to pan, saute for another couple minutes until onions are soft
3. Wash kale thoroughly, de-vein it by cutting out tough white center strips (see the picture in this post for a visual with similar collard greens), chop remaining greens into 1 inch pieces. 
4. Chop bacon into small bits. Remove onions from pan and set aside, add bacon to the pan and saute until cooked well, add kale and saute for 5 minutes more.
5. While cooking, add zest of 1/2 lemon and the juice of the whole lemon. Add onions back in and cook until kale is dark green and soft but still has some bite to it, about 2-5 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve warm with grilled meat.