I love kale! I love that Farmer Kenny has crops and crops of it! There are times, however, when I daydream that I have a secret life as the New York Times bestselling cookbook author of Fifty Shades of Kale. In this popular tome, kale is transformed from a staple in soups, smoothies and “hand-massaged raw salads” and turned into something surprising. Fifty totally unique recipes, not a kale chip in the bunch. When I saw that Trader Joe’s had a “reduced guilt” Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip, I thought, “Wow, that’s different!” I had a of parcel of kale in my cold drawer at home, so I did what any sneaky creative home cook would do…I took a photo of the ingredient label and bought what I needed to copycat the recipe at home.

Of course, I added my own spin on the TJ’s dip. I didn’t do anything dehydrated, left out the canned water chestnuts and frozen chopped spinach, omitted the xanthan gum (where the heck would I get that?) and added white wine. This makes me more of a copykitten than cat and, as a result, “reduced guilt.” I hope you love it and your kale!

Farm Box Kale Greek Yogurt Dip

Serves 6

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup chopped green onions, green and white portions

1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped, about 3 cups

1 stalk celery, chopped

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Pinch red chile flakes

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup strained Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons natural mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. When oil heats, add garlic, red pepper, carrots, onion and kale, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and chile flakes, and add wine. Cook wine until reduce slightly, about 1 minute, then remove the kale mixture from the pan and cool.

Put kale mixture into the bowl of a food processor, then add yogurt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Process the mixture until combined but chunks of vegetables are visible. Taste the mixture for additional seasoning, if needed, and serve with bread, crackers or vegetables.