Cooking In Season: Kale
Photo by Lois Anne
KALE
By Lois Anne
When I was younger, I thought of writing a cookbook entitled “101 Ways to Eat Kale.” But today it might more likely be 1001, for kale is so versatile. For this newsletter, I’ll just list just a few of my favorite ways to eat kale.
Buy a bunch of kale from the Good Tern produce department and eat a leaf or two on your way home (if you are more conscientious than I am, wash the leaves first).
Substitute kale for basil in your favorite pesto recipe. Or mix kale with basil, parsley, or other greens for a delicious unique pesto.
Chop or tear a few kale leaves into fairly small pieces, sauté in olive oil until bright green, stir in a couple of beaten eggs and a dash of sea salt, and scramble.
For a nourishing and tasty breakfast smoothie – add to your blender: a banana, 2 kale leaves torn into 3-4 pieces each, 1 heaping tablespoon of protein powder, ¾ cup blueberries, any fruit(s) of your choice (an apple, ½ cup applesauce, a peach, a pear, ½ an orange, a slice of lemon, etc.), and enough water and/or milk of your choice to enable the blender to whizz up a satisfying smoothie.
Substitute some kale for spinach or other greens in a salad.
Cut kale into ½” wide strips and add to a stir fry.
Finely chop kale and add to a quiche along with mushrooms and onions.
Add kale to your favorite vegetable soup recipe.
In a large bowl, mix pieces of kale in with other cut-up veggies (sweet potatoes, mushrooms, leeks, tomatoes, beets, etc.) and whole garlic cloves, toss with olive oil, salt, and your choice of herbs (optional) for roasted vegetables. Put the mixture in a parchment paper lined 9”x13” pan covered with foil. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes, remove the foil, stir and return to the oven for another 15 or more minutes until the veggies are done to your liking.
In addition to being tasty, kale is a nutrition superstar due to high amounts of vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fiber, carotenoids and manganese; and one cup of raw kale has only 20 calories. In general, kale provides more calcium and vitamin C per serving than spinach. Cooked greens may provide more nutrients per volume than raw.
No matter how you slice, dice, tear, or otherwise prepare & eat kale – enjoy!!
~ Lois Anne
Good Tern Member since 1981