Kale and White Bean Sauce with Sundried Tomatoes

"We will feel nourished by food when the negative thoughts which determine who we are-or aren't-are dissolved...Eating then becomes filled with love and joy and the body and mind become lighter and happier." --Gabriel Cousens in his book Conscious Eating
Recently, I've been trying to think of ways to add more leafy greens into my diet--instead of the basic side dish of sauteed greens with garlic and olive oil. A sauce seems the perfect way to blend something really healthy and nutritious into other more...tasty ingredients. So here it is, a beautiful red and green sauce that is lovely over pasta. To me, it is a meal in one: whole grain, veggie and protein. Hey, I bet if I can get Rutiger to eat this (who can be picky, especially when it comes to kale), any kid who won't eat their veggies will eat it too.
Ingredients:
* 4 cups kale, washed, stems removed and roughly chopped
* 1/4 cup water
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons pine nuts
* 1 cup cooked great northern white beans
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
* 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, preferably ones packed in olive oil and herbs
* Salt and black pepper to taste
In a skillet with a lid, heat the kale and water over medium heat, until it starts to shrink down in size. Add in the garlic and oil, stir well, turn heat down slightly, cover, and steam the kale for about 8 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, combine the beans with the pine nuts and lemon juice in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the cooked kale, herbs, salt and pepper and blend again until smooth. Transfer this mixture into a sauce pan and heat over medium. Add in the chopped tomatoes and heat through. Serve over whole grain spiral pasta and enjoy!