Lifestyles: Give them kale

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Kale is no longer just the curly green garnish on food displays and smorgasbords. Over a decade ago kale began to be featured on the menus of posh restaurants now it is everywhere. Once considered practically disposable, kale has proven to be one of the healthiest and most nutrient dense foods available. Talk about a comeback! 

In my family we have always eaten kale. Often cooked as a side dish for Sunday dinner, it was prepared with collard greens and in the same manner. As a matter of fact I didn’t even know the difference until it was later pointed out to me.  Today, when I steam greens for my dinners I often still combine kale, collard greens and mustard greens following my father’s recipe. But if I am pressed for time I will just cook the kale in seasoned boiling water with a dash of olive oil until tender and enjoy it just as much as the Sunday mixed greens. 

Kale can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. It can be blended into smoothies or whipped into a fresh pesto. I encourage you to take large kale leaves, blanch them, fill with a savory rice stuffing then roll and steam similar to stuffed grape leaves. This fiber rich green is as delicious as it is versatile.

Kale salads are all the rage. When using kale directly in a salad it is important that the kale leaves are tender. It is also necessary to remove the woodsy center stem. Because kale is so hearty, many salads using kale can be made ahead of time and in my opinion taste much better once the dressing has softened and wilted the kale leaves in the salad. Raw kale can be substituted in a salad for lettuce or in a slaw for cabbage. It can also be used as an additional ingredient to bulk up your salads or slaw should you not want to completely use kale. If you have baby kale available you will find that it is usually tender and can be more readily used.

Here is the recipe for my favorite kale salad. It has a lemony kick and gets better and better the longer that it sits. My kale salad goes great with grilled meats and vegetables for both lunch and dinner. 

Lemony Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1- Pound Fresh Kale

1- Bunch Fresh Parsley

4- Firm & Ripe Tomatoes

2- Green Onions

½ Cup Lemon Juice

½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper To Taste

Zest of ½ Lemon

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

In a large bowl mix the lemon juice, zest, garlic powder and olive oil. Whisk together to make dressing. Remove the stems from the kale and cut into julienne strips about ½ inch wide, long strips and add to the dressing in the bowl. Finely chop the parsley and the green onions and add to the kale mixture. Core the tomatoes by removing the seeds and chop them into small cubes, then add to the bowl with kale and dressing. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Allow kale salad to sit at least an hour before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Peruse the snack aisle of your favorite specialty store and I am sure that you will find kale chips. Kale chips are a tasty way to replace fried potato chips and snacks. However, they are usually in a very small bag for an exorbitant price. I find that making them at home is a better option to purchasing the small bags because you will yield much more chips. I use coarse salt to give my kale chips even more crunch because crispy is definitely my favorite texture for food. Experimenting with different seasoning blends like lemon pepper or smoked salt will give you a flavor combination that is all your own.  

Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1- Pound Bag of Kale (pre washed and dried) or 1 pound fresh kale, stemmed

¼ Cup Olive Oil

Coarse Salt 

½ Teaspoon Seasoned Salt (Lemon Pepper or your favorite seasoning)

Preheat Oven to 350 F 

The kale in the bag should already be a good size to make kale chips, make sure there are no large stems and that the kale is dry. If using fresh kale, remove stems and tear the  leaves into 3 inch pieces. Place pieces in a large bowl and top with olive oil then blend to cover all kale with oil. Using a large cookie sheet spread out kale so that it is not touching or it will steam instead or crisp. Sprinkle with salt and seasoning and bake for 20 minutes until brown but not burned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 4 minutes, then enjoy. Depending on your taste you may add a little more salt or seasoning. 

Surprise yourself or someone else with delicious new ways to enjoy kale.

Enjoy-