Can we talk about kale?
SusieBW
member
Do you eat a lot of it? What do you do with it? Can you eat it raw, like in salads? Do you make kale chips? Do they actually come out good? Do your kids eat it? Do they like it? How is it in smoothies, and if it's good, you put it in raw, I assume?
I'm not necessarily serious with all of these questions, I'm just looking for more ideas.
We got a whole bunch of kale in our CSA basket last week. I just finished devouring my second bowl of DH's Portuguese kale soup (dinner last night and lunch today), which is completely killer. He also attempted kale chips over the weekend, and they were not so good. They didn't crisp up the way I thought they would, and they were way too salty for me. I wish I had brought more of this soup to work with me, though! Anyway, I know there is more kale coming in this week's basket, so I'm looking for some other ideas to try. Thanks!
Re: Can we talk about kale?
Kale is delicious in salad! It's crunchy! Many people told me to massage the dressing/oil into the kale leaves, but I like to leave them a little firmer. They hold a lot of dressing because they are so ... "curly" I guess.
For kale chips - check out the blog "Undressed Skeleton"... She has a great recipe for kale chips!!
I put it in smoothies. I blend it raw with bananas and other fruits; tastes wonderful.
I also love a good kale salad.
Apropos chips, I've made kale chips, with Lacinato kale (aka Dinasour kale). They were okay, a bit underwhelming, so I haven't made them again.
You can saut? kale as well, I do this in the winter.
That sounds good! I'm pretty sure we'll be getting more zucchini from the farm this week too. DH really dislikes the texture of sauteed spinach, so I fear that he wouldn't like sauteed kale, either.
Thanks for all the ideas and tips, everyone!
I adore kale. I probably use it once a week. My thoughts are that it can be used for anything you would use spinach in, so soups, pasta, salads, etc.
We had a massaged kale Greek salad for dinner last week with grilled chicken. I've cooked it with beans and garlic and served it in tacos. I've caramelized it with onions and tossed it with penne.
My husband eats it no problem, but my son isn't a big fan of leafy vegetables right now. The two ways he will eat kale is in quiche or cooked onto pizza.
I actually like kale better than spinach. Like PP, saut?ed with butter and a little garlic. Saut?ed with onions and summer squash and topped with fried eggs for breakfast. Add it to taco meat.
If you are doing kale chips, I have found that they turn out much better if I use the dehydrator. Just use very little salt, it doesn't take much (and I like salt). Also, they don't keep we'll, so only make as much as you can eat then.
why no butter?
If the chips didn't crisp up really well, try using less olive oil. I spritz it on with an oil mister, apply seasonings, and bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Also, kale is wonderful with white beans! This is the recipe I've used the most:
https://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/white-beans-greans.php
Prior to pregnancy, I would add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pan at the end. Delicious!
Why only prior to pregnancy? What's wrong with balsamic? Or do you just have an aversion to it?
I'm also curious about the no butter thing.
Thank you guys for all of these ideas! We actually did not get any more kale in our CSA basket this week, but I'm definitely going to be buying it more often now that I have all these great options for it! And now that I know DH has such an awesome kale soup recipe!
Best salad ever
https://savoringeverybite.com/2011/05/24/no-fail-kale-caesar-salad/
BFP #1 05/03/12 DD: 12/18/12
BFP #2 05/26/14 MMC: 6/26/14 D&C: 7/18/14
BFP #3 10/09/14 MC 10/24/14