10 Ideas for Cooking With Kale

  Kale is one of the weird greens you see at the Farmers Market but may not buy because you aren't sure what to do with it or you've had bad experiences in the past.

Kale is a member of the cabbage family but is considered a super food because its filled with vitamins, etc.  Its actually classified as one of the most nutrient dense foods out there.

Kale can have crinkly or smooth leaves, can be green, purple, or green with red leaves.  The most common is the Scots Kale which is green.  

A cup of raw kale contains these percentages of each vitamin in terms of the recommended daily allowance.  Vitamin A - 206%, Vitamin K - 684%, Vitamin C - 134%, Vitamin B6 - 9%, Manganese - 26%, Calcium - 9%, Copper - 10%, Potassium - 9%, and Magnesium - 6%.  The cup has 33 calories and contains omega-3 fatty acid along with 3 grams of protein.

In addition, kale has antioxidants and contains substances that can help lower cholesterol, help your eyes, and is high in Beta-Carotone.

So how do you fix it to enjoy.  I read if you are using the larger kale leaves, you should cut out the middle stem which can be stringy and harder to eat. So prepare your leaves and try the following.

1.  Make kale chips by drizzling oil on the leaves, salt, and bake till dried.

2.  Finely chop the kale leaves, add a couple of eggs so the egg just coats the leaves, top with graded cheese and bake at 350 till done.  I bake it in a flat plan and add finely chopped mushrooms.

3. Add chopped up kale to soups for extra nutrition.  Think about a green gazpacho.

4. Use it in your stir fry's with cabbage and brocolli.

5. Throw it in your freshly made juice or in your morning smoothy.

6. Add kale cooked with onions and garlic till soft, then spread on pizza dough.  Top with cheese, chopped tomatoes, olives, and other toppings.  Bake till done.

7. Create an omelet with kale, onions, garlic, and cheese.  Top with a bit of salsa.

8.  Tear pieces to add to your salad with the spinach, lettuce, and chard.

9. I cook up kale,  onions, garlic, and beans with enchilada sauce for either an enchilada stuffing in stacked enchiladas or I use it as stuffing for tamales.

10. Roast some winter squash.  In a separate pan, cook up kale torn up into pieces, sage, allspice, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup dried cranberries in a bit of oil and water till tender. Stir the roasted squash in and serve.

I adore cooking with kale due to its taste.  I hope you find a couple things you want to try.  Let me know what you think.