Do you struggle to love this healthy green leafy veggie? I used to disparage kale until I discovered a helpful tips and tricks. That’s when the kale romance began.
Why should I care?
Kale is one of the healthiest foods around. According to Food Facts, one cup of kale can trump a whole week’s worth of other foods: 684% of the daily value of vitamin K, 206% of the suggested daily amount of vitamin A, and 134% of vitamin C (and even more vitamin C in the Scottish curly-leaf variety). It contains lots of iron, protein and calcium and can lower your cholesterol, help prevent cancer and detoxify your system.
What more could you want from a green, leafy friend?
Increasing popularity
If kale were in high school, she’d no doubt be homecoming queen. Below captures her quick rise to fame.
– In 2008, 539 babies were named Kale.
– Gwenyth Paltrow made kale chips on Ellen 2011, launching the vegetable’s stardom.
– In July of 2013, Iserloh and Drew published a book entitled 50 Shades of Kale.
– And by 2013, the vegetable had earned its own National Kale Day (on October 2).
A few tips to make it tasty
Fresh and local: One day I tried a kale salad on a business trip to Lewiston, Idaho at the Blue Lantern Coffee House. The salad was amazing, and when I asked the waitress why it tasted so good, she assured me the kale was “fresh and local.”
Stemless: Another tip my friend Amy shared was to remove the stem — as this is the part of kale that adds that ickily bitter (that’s a new word I just made up). Just tear off the leaves before preparing salads or grilling it.
A few tasty preparations
My favorite way to prepare kale it to grill it. I use a grill tray, sprinkle a little salt and pour a few drops of olive oil. You need to mix it frequently as it cooks quickly (you can improvise on a stove top but it takes a bit longer to cook).
I also made this Orechiette and Kale with Breadcrumbs dish from Bon Appetit quite some time ago, and I think it turned out pretty well.
Kale chips aren’t too bad, either (Food Network recipe can be found here, but there’s little variation in how to prepare). Warning: If you don’t eat them as soon as they come out of the oven, be prepared to ditch them. Leftovers are not so tasty.
If you’re a fan of hiding vegetables in hopes of getting your kids to eat them, a fruit smoothie with kale may be a great solution. Sure – it’ll be green. But it’ll still be tasty. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Photo courtesies:
