If you want to eat local foods in the winter then you better figure out how to eat some big leafy greens like kale. Not to mention kale is packed with all sorts of good stuff for your body so if you can learn to enjoy this veggie then it’s a win-win for everyone. :) Also just like apples, wheat and other whole foods there are many different varieties – and therefore flavors – of kale available. We recently picked up some “dinosaur kale” at our farmers’ market because with a name like that who wouldn’t want to at least try it?
It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally figured out a few ways that our family can easily “eat more kale”….
- Eggs.
Puree kale into an egg dish like scrambled eggs, mini egg casseroles, quiche or egg soufflé. You could also use sautéed kale instead of a layer of meat on your Eggs Benedict this weekend. My husband says he might even like eggs better with kale than without. I am not sure I exactly agree with him on that, but the kale/egg combo is surprisingly good.
Green Eggs Recipe
- Salads.
I actually need to thank some of my blog readers for telling me that you could just eat kale raw in a salad. For a while I had the impression that kale had to be cooked. I will say though if you’re somewhat new to kale it could be overkill to just sit down to a big bowl of it so we started out by just mixing in a little bit of kale with our regular salad greens. The first night we tried this my husband declared, “The kids are NOT going to like this” but I said, “Just don’t say anything and see what happens.” Sure enough they ate it without even noticing the new, darker greens in the mix. (FYI – My kids did not always eat salad…it took a lot of repeated exposure before our 4-year-old learned it would be a “dinner norm” around here.) And I am also not a huge salad person myself so adding just a little bit to our standard lettuce was a good compromise for everyone.
Hint: Remove the center ribs from the kale before eating it raw.
Salad Recipes
- Pesto.
I don’t know about you, but our family LOVES some pesto. It’s great on everything from pasta to pizza to caprese salad to panini sandwiches. I’ve discovered that if you replace half the basil with kale in your pesto recipe that you can hardly even tell the difference!
Pesto Recipe
Pizza Recipe
- Smoothies.
I’ve been adding a handful of spinach to our smoothies for a while, which doesn’t necessarily turn our smoothies “green” but instead just adds a veggie without altering the flavor very much. So I finally took the plunge and added a handful of kale instead, and I have to say…not bad. Now I actually kind of like raw spinach so I can’t say I like our smoothies with the kale just as much, but almost as much.
Smoothie Recipe
- Kale Chips.
Most of you have probably heard of these by now, but if you haven’t you are missing out. If you can manage to cook them just right this is another tasty way to “enjoy” kale!
Kale Chips Recipe
Please share how you like to eat Kale (and what varieties you prefer) in the comments below!
Real Food Tips: 10 Items I Never Purchased Before Cutting Processed Food
I cannot get the kale chips to come out crunchy they just get soft when I bake the kale?
Hi Jan,
You have to make sure the kale is complete dry after washing it, and then completely covered in oil before baking otherwise they do come out soft unfortunately… You can also keep them in the oven for a bit longer to crisp up a bit more…
I sauteed it and put it in wraps, chop it up and cook it in my pasta sauce and also soups. I also put it in my fried rice. It’s a staple in our house now. I’ll have to try the pesto and the kale chips sometime.
Great post – thanks! I actually posted my favorite green smoothie recipe today that includes kale!
http://behealthybehappywellness.com/blog/2012/04/april-enjoy-your-greens
We also just sautee it with garlic and olive oil – just like spinach. Yummy!
OMG! Lisa….you forget soup! Kale is absolutely delicious in all sorts of broth based soups. While my boys wouldn’t eat it in anything else, they practically beg for me to include it when I make soup….you can also put a pretty large amount in the soup because it really cooks down in the same way that spinach does. Try it, you’ll love it!
I have the opposite problem, *too* crunchy. I found out this week that my veg stand has kale this year! Yay!
add some honey and lemon juice to the kale chips… yum!
Some of our favorite recipes for Kale, besides what you’ve listed
http://www.fresh365online.com/recipes/2011/9/1/sesame-kale-salad.html
http://cleaneatingchelsey.com/2012/01/19/over-easy-savory-oatmeal-with-kale/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cleaneatingchelsey%2FYhcc+%28Clean+Eating+Chelsey%29
Kale chips are a favorite – even the dog loves them. He comes running and stand right by the oven while they’re baking.
I agree with the posts above Рlove kale saut̩ed or in soups. This is my favorite kale soup recipe Рhttp://www.cooking4carnivores.com/2011/10/beyond-kale.html?m=1
I’ve chopped up kale and mixed it in with my homemade meatballs. It looks just like (a lot of) parsley so no one even asked about it!
I love the idea of putting it in pesto. Great idea. :)
Me too! I never thought of that, but we LOVE pesto around here and we make it out of just about anything (made some with spring garlic last week, YUM!). I’m excited to give it a try once basil comes back in season.
I am now eating kale just about every day. I love it! We started with kale chips. My 8 year old daughter loves kale and will eat it almost any way I make it. My new favorite is to saute kale, green cabbage and mushrooms in olive oil with salt and garlic. I sometimes eat this for breakfast and may or may not add an egg on top. I also add this saute to broth and make veggie soup. I add kale to smoothies too. I’ll have to try the pesto sauce. Thanks for the various ways to incorporate this veggie into our diet.
I’m big on using them in my soup – my recent favorite is just garlic, kale, sweet potatoes, chicken broth and the key ingredient nutmeg. I thought it would have no flavor but it’s so yummy!
I overbought kale on the weekend, because it looked so gorgeous! It’s one of my favourite vegetables. My favourite way to prepare it is to remove the centre ribs, boil the leaves for a few minutes, then sauté with garlic and onions and red wine vinegar. Delish!
I love kale chips. I used to have kale in smoothies, occasionally in soup (great with potatoes). I have a great kale-onion-garlic-tomato pasta recipe.
But once I discovered kale chips – and once I discovered that my husband make them perfectly – we almost don’t eat it any other way. (Except when we get it in a bag of mixed green leafies with cabbage and other stuff. Then I stir fry it.)
The key to not too crunchy/ crunchy enough is to experiment in your oven. Time, temperature, tossing in-between, amount of oil, and even the particular pan you use can make a difference.
We love to juice Kale and add it to lemonade…such a great combo…and you can use the pulp later in meatballs and the like.
I sauté it in olive oil, top it with fresh salsa, cover and cook for 5 mins stirring occasionally. Then top with goat cheese. Yum
Here’s another good resource for kale recipes:
http://www.thewelldaily.com/main/article/from_our_kitchen_to_yours?utm_source=The+Well+Daily&utm_campaign=54b636cd99-From_Our_Kitchen_To_Yours_TEST4_2_2012&utm_medium=email
I love your blog and Facebook posts. Thanks for all of the great ideas and recipes!
I really love this salad: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/09/massaged-kale-and-craisin-salad-with-feta-cheese.html
Forks Over Knives, the book, has a delicious recipe for kale! Just cook kale in a covered pot with water for a few minutes until tender. In your food processor, blend a clove or two of garlic, about a 1/2 cup of walnuts, and some tamari with a little water to thin. Simple but sooooo good, especially over couscous.
You all amaze me. I have never eaten kale in my life, nor has anyone else in the house, but I’m picking it up next time I shop and trying a couple of these ideas! I wish I had a blender to make smoothies :)
Is it easy to grow I wonder? We tend to eat what we grow. I’ll have to research it. Thanks for the inspiration everyone!
The trick to a great raw salad is to massage the kale for a few minutes before serving it. I learned this trick from a dietician while co-teaching a class at Whole Foods. It also makes it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients. Here is my simple recipe for kale salad. My two-year-old LOVES it!!! http://healthnutfoodie.blogspot.com/2012/03/hail-kale-simple-scrumptious-salad.html
We get our kale in smoothies. We usually mix our green smoothies with baby spinach and kale. This is the recipe we make everyday: http://familysponge.com/food/a-secret-weapon-for-a-healthy-family/
If you slightly blanche the kale before putting it in your smoothie, it eliminates that slight bitter taste :)
I don’t think it is too hard to grow. I live in Northern Illinois and my kale managed to survive the winter.
Here in the Netherlands we eat a lot of kale. We cook it with potatoes and onion and then mash everything.
Another way to enjoy kale more in a salad is to “massage” the kale. If you are using a vinaigrette, add just the oil first (or sometimes i add an avocado to make a guacamole salad) along with some salt and rub the kale between your fingers. This causes the kale to wilt slightly and have a texture much more similar to regular lettuce.
baked kale and carrots – toss in casserole dish with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. bake till carrots are soft. You can add a little parmesan too for a change.
How funny that you wrote this today! I am filming a video blog on juicing kale tomorrow! Check it out. I am doing it for all the peeps who want to eat it, but who have a strong aversion to making/cooking stuff! Especially stuff involving more than 3 ingredients! hahaha— ps that pizza looks amazing!!! Yum!! If only someone would make it for me…. :)
Another great website is http://www.365daysofkale.com You can also take your fave Italian Wedding Soup recipe with the meatballs and substitute kale for the spinach in that recipe.
I agree! This is a great website. The garlic soup with sweet potatoes and kale is totally awesome!!!
We’re crazy for kale, and have been since we started on our own “real food” journey almost 3 years ago (in our case, also “local”).
When eating it raw, it helps to use it in a salad that calls for it to “sit” for at least 10 minutes (even better up to 30) after mixing in the dressing. That gives the leaves a chance to wilt a bit an absorb the flavor. This is probably our favorite kale salad recipe. Here’s another good one with white beans.
For a simple saute, I use a stainless steel pan over medium heat, a drop of oil, and then I add as many kale leaves as it will hold. I ad a dash of kosher salt and a few ginds of pepper and turn it with tongs until it wilts and reduces in size. To finish I add a dash of lemon juice and a dash of soy sauce. My dashses in this case are pretty minimal (maybe 1/4 tsp) in order to prevent it from getting too salty.
Finally, kale is not only the healthiest leafy green, but also the hardiest, especially Dinosaur kale (also called Tuscan kale, Lacinato kale, and Cavolo Nero). Red Russian kale is also very hearty. (Personally, I don’t care for the really frilly kale, which is the variety that is most often found in the supermarket.) If you store your greens well, you can count on your kale staying perfectly fresh longer than any other green, up to a week.
When we shop once a week we try to eat our greens as much as possible in this order: first arugula and salad greens, then lettuces and mustard greens, then swiss chard and collard greens, and finally kale. Don’t get me wrong, we never have ALL of those at the same time, but it’s a handy mental chard for how to make whatever we did buy last the longest as stay in the best shape for eating.
Sorry I messed up the links above and I can’t edit!
The kale and white bean salad is here.
Otherwise also sorry for not launching the links in a separate window. Usually I try to do that in comments. :)
– Erik
A few people have mentioned massaging this kale. This is my all-time favorite kale recipe, Massaged Kale Salad with mangos and pepitas! Yum!!! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe/index.html
Mmm, kale is my go-to salad base. I find it stays crisp under dressings, whereas most lettuces can get soggy.
Right now for lunch I’m enjoying kale with sliced strawberries, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and a bit of goat cheese covered in a homemade balsamic mustard dressing.
Can’t wait to try making a pesto!
Thanks for this post!!! Kale is something I’ve been wanting to bring to the table, but have been a bit timid on for some reason. Our African Grey parrot loves it!
Just bought 2 varieties of kale yesterday! The thing I love most about kale is how long it lasts in the crisper. I wash my kale, drain it well and put it in large zip bags (not sealed) and place in my vegetable drawer in my refrigerator. It will stay crisp and fresh for a week or more! We mostly eat it raw in salads, but I have added it to veggie soups, made chips, use it on sandwiches, and also do a quick saute when I need a side dish. Just remember to remove the tough center veins before eating.
I used a recipe from Budget Bytes last night where you sautéed it with chorizo and made a strata. It was delicious!
We love Lacinato/dinosaur kale and eat it all the time. This recipe http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2640 with or without the brown rice or quinoa is great with fish! The only thing I’ve added to it is some red pepper flakes while it’s cooking, and we use less feta than called for.
Here is another way to make Kale Chips I just found if you have a food dehydrator: http://nouveauraw.com/kale-chips/raw-garlic-kale-chips/ Sounds really good for people who have trouble getting the crispyness right in the oven and even more nutritious. Perhaps less hands-on time as well.
Kale and black eyed peas with a bit of salt and garlic…..sooo good
I do love kale salads. This this was a roasted kale-and-coconut dish I loved recently: http://emmycooks.com/2012/04/03/farro-bowl-with-toasted-kale-and-coconut-and-curry-roasted-tofu/
We love adding it to our frittatas. I can’t make enough kale chips for my kids. They eat it up too fast. I saute and make a variety of side dishes using kale. I tend to treat it like spinach, and I have made a lot of really nice dishes with it. I like your idea of adding it to salads and pesto though, and I plan to do that with my next CSA.
Earthbound Farms sells a clam shell with organic baby kales that my local grocery orders in for me. They are so delicious and so much more tender for salads. Toss with arugula/spinach or eat alone. The baby kale is more mild in flavor and blends much easier in smoothies as well. YUM!
Our favorite is Massaged Kale Salad. You literally massage the kale with a little olive oil, which helps break down the toughness. It is served with mangoes and pepitas. YUM! The recipe is here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe/index.html
We love dino kale best. In addition to lots of great suggestions, I like to make kale potato quesadillas Рfilling is made of steamed kale, potatoes, garlic, onions, and sharp cheddar pur̩ed in the food processor.
I love the Kale chips! My kids think they are poison. I can’t wait to try some of these other ways to prepare kale.
Oh I love kale! My hubby and boys-not so much. They eat it fine if it’s raw in a salad or blended into a smoothie. I’m not sure if they would go for kale in their eggs but I’ll give it a shot!
My favorite way to eat kale is Joy the Baker’s Kale and Coconut bowl. The first time I made it I scarfed mine down, then made a PB&J for Jonathan so I could eat his bowl (he wasn’t a huge fan of the kale and coconut bowl). I make a double batch of it now because I’m just a liiiittle bit obsessed with it!
Also, I’ve found that the dinosaur kale is a little more tender and doesn’t taste quite as strong as the regular, curly kale. So if you’re trying to convince your family you might want to try the dinosaur variety first if you can find it.
I make an Italian wedding soup and I serve with kale or sometimes spinach. I add it to the bottom of the bowl and serve the liquid on top so the greens wilt slightly. I also found a recipe for quinoa patties where you mix kale into them.
I have a wonderful recipe from Fitness magazine I believe. Its for savory bean and spinach soup and I used Kale because I had no spinach and I thought it was wonderful! It even froze well!
I love Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipe for fried rice. She slices up kale leaves into ribbons, steams them for a few minutes, then adds them to fried rice. Delicious!
Pour 2 T of olive oil (or cocounut, whatever you prefer) in a sautee pan. Add garlic salt. Sautee the kale as you would spinach. For additional flavor, fry up bacon (or turkey bacon)and then add the kale. The garlic salt really adds a nice flavor. Since my body craves protein, and not having any turkey bacon on hand, I simply added some turkey meat I had in the fridge. The kale, garlic salt and turkey meat combo made for a healthy, filling and tasty lunch. Fast too!
We have been getting a lot of kale from our local organic produce delivery so I have had to be very creative with it. We have been putting it in potato soup, lentil soup, or white bean soup. I added it to a quiche with spinach. My favorite was lentil and brown rice tacos topped with sauteed kale, shredded cheese and sour cream.
We have been eating kale for over a year. When I make a smoothie I use frozen bananas, kale leaves, blueberries and almond milk. It comes out purple and no one even knows they are eating something so healthy with kale!
Thanks for the post!
I am with all of you on the smoothies. Blueberries seem to be key. It is the only fruit I can add that will disguise kale or spinach. Yay for blueberries! I love sending the kids to school knowing they have had kale or spinach smoothies for breakfast.
I ALWAYS put spinach in my eggs or smoothies. We basically use it as a lettuce. I’ll have to try Kale out more now. Thanks for the idea! Love you blog!
We eat it in our Zuppa Toscana type soup.
This is great! My garden is bursting with kale right now. Pizza and pesto, here we come!
We are getting kale in our produce basket next week, so this was great timing! We have tried so many things from your website and have loved them all so far. Thanks so much- it’s making cutting out processed foods so much easier.
We are kale fanatics. The health benefits are incredible, plus we love it! We do all of your suggestions. I’ve read that you can rub kale leaves with a little olive oil and it will soften the leaves for a rubbed kale salad. Also, when I’m overwhelmed by it from our farm share, I blanch and freeze it. Then, I always have it ready to add to things like soup, eggs, casseroles, and any other dish I can think of.
I can’t get past how bitter it is- even the kale chips- any suggestions? (Plus the weird after taste you get later)
If they were bitter tasting I think you may have over cooked them.
We put it in soup! I love the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden, so I make a clean version.
clean version???? I think I need this recipe….please :D
My relationship with kale has evolved so much over the years! I admit the first time I sautéed it it wasn’t my favorite. Since then however, I eat it regularly – in eggs, in salads, kale chips – love!! Have you tried red Russian kale or dinosaur kale, not great for kale chips in my opinion but so so good in salads!
That really is the key to kale: finding the RIGHT kale. DInosaur kale is a world away from the frilly kale that you get at the grocery story (even Whole Foods).
The three things that helped me appreciate kale the most:
1. Buying it from the farmer’s market: fresh is best (as is buying the right kinds – more availability at the farmer’s market).
2. Evolving my palate away from sweet foods: this was really a wholesale lifestyle change, but the less processed food that I ate, the more my palate came to enjoy things like kale.
3. Learning many tasty ways to prepare it: I still saute it from time to time, but we eat a lot more because we know 1,001 ways to prepare kale
Kale: the superest of super foods.
Live Kale Salad is the way to go. It “cooks” the kale by using Braggs Liquid Aminos, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice. My daughter eats this by the bowlful in the summer. It gives the kale an asian taste and it’s delicious. I don’t even like kale but I go crazy for this salad. And you can really use any greens that you have in the fridge. it’s a good end of the week salad to use up any veggies and greens that you have laying around. You can even add chicken or fish and call it dinner! Here is the recipe:
Live Kale Salad
30 minutes / 3-4 servings
Ingredients
1 large bunch curly kale
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large lemon – juiced
2 Tbl nama shoyu, Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar- raw and unfiltered
1 Tbl agave nectar
1 clove garlic – minced
3 stalks green onion – rough chopped
1/2 jalepeno, deseeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh herbs, minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, grated
dash cayenne powder
Celtic sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup white and or black sesame seeds
1. Destem kale and place in a large mixing bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Allow to sit for 20 minutes or longer, up to overnight to allow kale to soften.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
My favorite way to eat kale is sauteed in coconut oil over med-high heat with some chopped fresh garlic. Cook, covered for about 5 minutes with a large pinch of salt. When it’s done cooking, add the juice from a half a lemon. It’s amazing with a fried egg (or two!) on top, but also insanely good just by itself. It’s by far one of my favorite things to make for lunch. My one year old even loves it!
I’m intrigued by the Live Kale Salad – can’t wait to try it!
cook 1 cup of quinoa as directed but add a big bunch of Kale remove the ribs and slice chiffinade style (roll it up and slice thin slivers) at the start of cooking. also add juice of 1 orange and a handfull of dried cherries or cranberries.
my sister in law used Kale as a type of taco shell with some fried vegis’ Looked delicious.
We actually rub our kale with a small amount of kosher salt. It’s a “massaged kale” salad, and there’s no cooking involved. If you massage the kale leaves with a bit of kosher salt for about 5 minutes, the salt begins to draw out some of the moisture, and will tenderize the leaves. Squeeze out the green brine from the massaged leaves, toss with sesame oil and cranberries and a little honey. Holy cow. Yum.
Yes, I second the massaged kale salad! It’s like nothing I’ve ever had before. The one I make goes like this: De-stem and chop up (or even chiffonade) a bunch of kale. Put the kale in a bowl with a big pinch of salt (more later to taste) and the juice from 1 lemon. Massage the kale for 3-5 min. Then add smashed avocado – I usually do 1/2 of an avocado for a bunch of kale. I also add diced fresh tomato and some cayenne powder if I’m feeling feisty! :) If I ever have a “last meal,” this will be on the menu.
I love kale in a basic potato or sweet potato hash. Last time I did it, I blanched the kale really quickly, then put it in the crockpot with diced sweet potatoes, a splash of red wine vinegar, salt, and some dried red pepper flakes. We ate it in bowls with fried eggs on top. It was super-healthy and really good!
I have cubes of sautéed kale (which I’ve pureed after cooking) in the freezer. Two ideas:
1. I often mix defrosted cubes into yogurt (like a modified raita).
2. Or alternatively, mix with cream cheese for a sandwich spread.
Hi, Lisa,
I found your website last week and cant stop reading it. I want to change my food habits. I hope I can do it.
It seems like kale is new for you. In Brazil, where I came from, is very common. Usually, it’s cut thin (make a roll with it and cut) and sauteed with garlic, onions, salt.
Have a very good use for kale in a kind of soup we have there. It’s called “caldo verde”. Basically, you cook potatoes with water, oil, chicken broth, until the potatoes dissolves. Add little pieces of linguica (check wikipedia. You may be able to use some sausage) and let it cook. Turn the burner off and add the kale. It’s a thick soup. It’s delicious, specially for the winter.
You can see the recipe here with photos.
http://tudogostoso.uol.com.br/receita/9031-caldo-verde.html
If you get interested, you may be able to translate the recipe using google. Or I can help you if you need.
i think someone else might have mentioned this, but it’s delicious…shred kale in food processor and mix in w/ cooked quinoa. can’t get enough of it!
I really enjoy reading your posts. Here’s something we tried recently that you and your family might like. Quinoa Kale Patties…They reminded me of hash browns/tater tots texture wise.
Here’s the recipe
http://fromaliceskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/quinoa-kale-patties.html
I’ve also noticed similar recipes which calls for baking the mixture in mini muffin pans. I plan to test those out real soon.
I just put some in a stir-fry. I have been wanting to make kale chips so thanks for posting that recipe.
My go to breakfast in the morning:
One whole apple, sliced including core
2 cups kale
1/2 cup water(or coconut water)
1/2-1 cup OJ
1-2 bananas
2 Tbs chia seeds
Ice cubes if desired
Blend in Vitamix or similar – I haven’t tried in a regular blender.
YUM! Keeps me full until lunch
You can eat the core?????
Yes! Blended in the vitamix, it adds fiber. You could leave it out, if you wish. I don’t know notice a taste difference at all.
Well I am excited to try the kale pesto. I’ve made the “cheesy” kale chips with nutritional yeast before. Labor intensive just a little but quite worth it. My absolute favorite way to eat it, however, is cooking up a pan of chopped kale, garlic, and the peeled, chopped frozen tomatoes from my summer garden in plenty of olive oil and some salt and pepper. It goes with everything–even my favorite kale and hummus sandwich. Unbelievably delicious.
This kale and butternut squash salad is awesome.
It is from a restaurant in NY.
http://food52.com/recipes/15584-northern-spy-s-kale-salad
We have a new favorite kale recipe — we added kale to your Easy Cheesy Crackers! We use extra-sharp white cheddar and we add 1/2 cup kale, an extra 1 T butter, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and salt + pepper as desired. We roll the dough into one-inch rolls and freeze them so we can cut the crackers rather thinly. And we bake just a few minutes less than we tend to bake the crackers when vegetables are not included. The resulting crackers are green, much to my three-year-old’s delight, and delicious. :o)
LOVE this Garlicky Kale recipe from Whole Foods! It’s so delicious that I eat it every single day!
Ingredients
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed, chopped and massaged
1 tablespoon Bragg’s Amino Acid (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons tahini paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or one lemon)
2 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, minced
Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Put all ingredients (except for kale) into a blender, adding nutritional yeast last. (Adding it first causes it to gum up the blades and stick to the base.)
Mix until smooth.
Transfer kale to a salad bowl, then pour dressing over the top and toss until coated.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
I’ve been eating kale for YEARS… my favorite way to eat it is a simple and delicious recipe: Cut fresh raw kale into bit-sized pieces. Drizzle with olive oil (you need less than you think) and stir to get it all coated. Sprinkle with sea salt and put it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. The olive oil softens the kale, then eat it like a salad. You won’t believe how delish this is!
I’ve tried adding kale to multiple smoothies and I always end up with tiny pieces that almost require chewing. I’ve used the blender and the food processor. Any suggestions for how to fix this?
Hi Amy. For most smoothies the blender or food processor work fine but I have found that in order for green smoothies to be PERFECTLY smooth and without “bits”, an investment in a really good blender may be helpful. I am saving up for that investment now. :) Would love to hear if readers have other feedback. ~Amy
I bought a Nutri-Bullet at Bed Bath Beyond 1.5 yrs ago, now Wal mart sells them-99 dollars, and it whips through anything- nuts, seeds, kale and liquefies it!
Love it!!!
Oh, and I did not buy the recipe book for an extra 20 bucks-go online, and 100 days and your imagination makes awesome smoothies. gigi
Whenever I put tough greens in my smoothies, I make sure to put them in first, with only as much liquid or yogurt as is necessary to blend them up. I find that if there is too much volume in the blender, then the greens tend to “escape” the blades and end up in noticeable pieces. If they are in with a small amount of soft ingredients they don’t have any other place to go and get blended up really well. Then I add my other ingredients, blend, and enjoy! HTH.
Hi Amy — I had the same problem for years. My family and I got used to gritty / chunky “smoothies” for breakfast while I scrimped and saved for my dream machine : the Vita Mix. I was able to purchase a VitaMix blender last summer, and could not believe the difference. I’ve heard similar great things about Blendtec. I use my VitaMix at least once per day, usually twice, so the initial cost, while daunting, is more than worth it for me. It beats my old blender (a solid KitchedAid) into the dust!
I find the baby kale (bag or box of organic) easier to eat in salad / drink in smoothies. It is less stringy than the large, curly kale. Favorite “super food” salad is baby kale, chard, chopped Brussels sprouts (yes, raw), dried cranberries and pepitos (shelled raw pumpkin seeds) with Amy’s organic poppy seed dressing — or homemade dressing is even better!
Regarding the small bits in the smoothies: We used to use a Ninja blender which is great for most things, but not when adding greens. Recently we purchased a Nutribullet and we will never go back! It literally liquifies anything you put in there! Even nuts. We’ve never had larger pieces of greens since. We purchased the larger one, not the little mini. (Not sure how that would work.)
I made scrambled eggs tonight and decided to throw some kale in to try. I ended up putting a lot of kale and the mixture was really green but I decided to cook it and try it like that. I was delicious! It had such a subtle flavor that I wouldn’t have even known the difference if I didn’t put the kale in myself! I’m going to try these other tips too!
Just ate chorizo kale soup from paleopot! So delicious!
http://paleopot.com/2013/02/one-pot-chorizo-and-kale-soup/
I discovered a quick and easy chicken and kale dish that my mom concocted a couple of weeks ago. I recreated it tonight and we loved it! Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter (olive oil would probably work fine) in a 12″ stainless steel skillet. Add about 1/2 onion sliced in rings. Add as much washed, torn kale leaves as you can fit on top of the onions and cover. Turn heat down to medium. Then place 4-5 thin/small raw chicken breasts on top of kale (I sliced my giant chicken breats horizontally). Sprinkle with your favorite chicken seasonings (eg, garlic salt, onion powder, whatever). Cover entire dish and let simmer for as long as you can, but at least and hour. In the end you have delicious kale and tender, moist chicken.
Kale Slaw with Sprouted Hummus & Sunflower Sprouts
Kale, cabbage, peppers, carrots, all cut small or julienne.
Our fav hummus recipe; we sprout chick peas 3-4 days, rinsing frequently. Parch, then cuise w/ aminos, garlic, lemon & oil. We like the hummus runny so it pours over kale & sprouts. This combo was first fed to me by Kindness Kafé & Karma Karavan. Yuumm!
Also; cooked kale in lasagna is awesome!
My twin boys love cream of broccoli soup made with organic chicken broth, celery and onions. Today I threw two big handfuls of kale. You let it simmer and then blend. Add a little half and half and cheese. They loved it and the kale just blended in.
We enjoy raw “cooked” kale salad. Massage kale about 2 minutes in bowl with olive oil ( or other oil you enjoy) and lemon juice to your liking and it softens easily for a tasty salad. I usually then add nuts and fruit. But anything would work!
I have a Black & Decker “Cyclone” blender. I use it to make smoothies all the time, and I haven’t found anything it won’t completely puree! :) It’s just a cheaper option for those that can’t afford the more expensive versions! I think it cost about $30.
I use kale as a substitute for broccoli in Asian and other dishes. You can use the stems, just chop up the whole thing into little pieces. We can’t tell the difference in taste, it just looks different than broccoli and holds its flavor better. Since we eat a lot of Asian food we eat a lot of Kale this way. I also love the kale chips; my favorite way to do them is with coconut oil. Can’t imagine liking kale and eggs as much as eggs with other types of veggies and mushrooms, but the kale soup (done like cream of broccoli) seems like a top idea. I’ll try that for sure. Yumm!!
One of our favorite family salads is a kale salad with cashews, raisins, sunflower seeds, edamame, grated carrots, blueberries, and onions. I use a vinegar and oil dressing sweetened with honey. I am always asked for the recipe.
Could you please share your recipe? I would love to try it.
I sauté a handful of baby kale in olive oil til wilted & add 2 beaten eggs & then some cheese (goat cheese in delicious with the kale) for a delicious omelet.
My kids are of the “if we grow it, we will eat it” variety. They didn’t used to like kale, but the minute it came up in the garden my 5 year old son was asking me if he was “allowed” to pick some leaves to much on! Same has been true for my daughter with tomatoes. We chop kale pretty fine and mix with black beans, sweet potatoes, red peppers for enchiladas, burritos, etc. PS- This summer we discovered that broccoli leaves make excellent chips just like kale chips.
It used to be kale chips, but hands down my husband and son gobble up Kale-Potato Tacos! I dice red potatoes and cook in a bit of olive oil until almost done then add the kale and let it get a little crispy. (Sometimes I will also include carrots and/or celery. What ever is available.) The kale only takes about a minute or so (it’s chopped) then I put the tortillas on top to slightly steam the kale then fill. Sometimes add cheese, or sometimes go vegan. Top with tomatoes if available or not. It really does stand up all by itself, but suite your tastes with cilantro dressing or not. I find you don’t need to add much other than a quick grind of salt and pepper to taste. Best part – It’s super quick and one pan to clean!
I use kale in place of spinach all the time. It’s amazing in spanakopita, puréed with spices in an Indian curry, and chopped up in winter soups.
I use greens like spinach, bok choy, and kale in my stir fry. Just add at the end because it doesn’t need to cook long.