I've been eating a lot of kale since I discovered it two years ago. I've been boiling it because in the raw state it's pretty tough and indigestible. One idea I had for eating it raw is to put it into a blender with water to make a drink out of it. To this point I've blended the lower parts with the stems. I ended up with a very *ahem* vibrant, green liquid which I then used as a base for soup and I didn't have any indigestion from it the way I usually do with the stems.
It might be possible to blend the leaves and drink them raw. I'm just not that worried about vitamin shortages in my body.
The ancient greeks ate a lot of kale. It's said they hardly ate anything else.
Broccoli isn't found in nature. It's the result of farmers fiddling with kale.
My favorite thing to do with it is to make a soup out of it. Other ingredients include onions and fried tofu. Sausage works well too. I put in a lot of curry. I add plain lowfat yogurt once it's ladled into bowls to make it a creamed soup. If your food is too spicy, add plain yogurt. The sour can make a spicy dish into a mild dish.
I love steamed kale with caramelized onions and garlic or with freshly pressed raw garlic and lemon juice with nutritional yeast sprinkled over it all.
I also make braised kale with onions, garlic and white beans. Yum!
Kale ends up in any soup I make when it's in the house.
I used to eat kale everyday but broccoli has been so much more affordable lately!
For extra nutrients, I add chickpeas to a couple things. Mustard greens sauteed with a bit of garlic makes a really filling dish if you add chickpeas at the end just to warm them. And I also mix mashed chickpeas into meatless pasta sauce to thicken it up a bit... delicious!
I love to steam kale and coat it with fresh squeezed lemon, soy sauce, and olive oil...serve it over some grains and you've got yourself a delightful healthy meal to crave!
Kale can easily be eaten raw if it's prepared properly and it is really yummy this way!
You want to slice it very finely across the stems (think chiffonade~less than 1/4 inch if you can do it.) Then you add a liquid of choice (I like soy sauce, garlic chili paste, and a bit of sesame oil) then you squeeze the heck out of the kale. I believe the term is massaging, but you really want to get in there and squeeze handfuls of it for awhile or until it's tender and bright green. The massaging breaks down the cell walls like cooking does. Then you can add other ingredients if you want. One time I used olive oil and lemon juice as the liquid and then added raisins and toasted pine nuts. YUM!
I also like to make a stew that is supposed to be of African decent (not sure if it's authentic.) You take a chopped onion and garlic and sautee in oil a bit, then you add a big bunch of greens that have been chopped, once they wilt a bit you add a large can of diced tomatoes, a can of garbanzo beans (don't drain either can), and a couple of sweet potatoes that you've scrubbed and sliced (skin left on.) Once it boils you make a well in the center and add some rice (enough so it's barely covered by the liquid) and cook til the rice and sweet potatoes are cooked through. Then I add lots of tabasco, but that's a matter of personal preference. My brother in-law who hates veggies, loves this stew. It's so good and you can use any kind of green that's available.
I make a kale "chips" recipe that I found on hungrygirl.com. In short, I mist the kale with olive oil, then bake at 350-375 until it's crispy. once it's done, I sprinkle with lite salt, pepper, or Mrs. Dash, etc. It's a good substitute for salty, crunchy, high fat potato chips.
Nice timing to have this thread pulled up, as I got a "braising mix" in my CSA box this week. It appears to be mostly kale, some green and some red. I've pulled up a couple of braising recipes and am anxious to try it. I also have some less storage-friendsly greens too, though, so we need to eat those first.
Kale Recipe
