My relationship with kale used to be non-existent. The taste and texture is an acquired taste I will admit. So how does one go from not a fan to having a whole level of their rise gardens dedicated to kale? Well when you find ways you love to eat it, it’s easier to incorporate it into your life. You can add it to your spaghetti, toss into soups, hide it in a smoothie, make chips or sauté it.
Here are a few of the ways we use kale in our house:
Parsley and Kale Smoothie
It can be easily added into any smoothie and not be noticed, especially paired with lots of strong fruits. One kale smoothie recipe that I really enjoy but may take some bravery to try would be this parsley and kale smoothie. All of these items can be interchanged and personalized.
- 1 cup of berries or fruit of your choice. I like blueberries
- 1/2 to a whole Apple
- Small amount of fresh parsley
- Handful of kale
- 1 cup of almond milk
Optional
- Frozen banana
- Ice
- Flax seed
- Chia
The parsley brings this together. Don’t skip the parsley.
Sautéed Kale in Nutritional Yeast
This recipe can be done without oil. It is by far one of my favorite sides for breakfast or can be done at dinner with mashed potatoes and fried tofu. Heat pan with oil. If you’re doing this oil free, you just need to periodically add water to steam it.
You will need black salt and nutritional yeast. These items can be purchased at a health food store or online. Nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor and black salt is used to make tofu taste more like an egg with its sulfur flavor. These two are a very tasty combination. I sauté the kale and heavily season it with the nutritional yeast and then lightly sprinkle the black salt. A little goes a long way. Sauté until the kale turns a dark green color.
Kale Chips
This kale recipe can be made with or without oil.
I like to make kale chips the same way I would make the sautéed kale but without the black salt. However, any flavor will be good. Try just sea salt, garlic, maybe something spicy such as red pepper chili flakes. I hesitated providing a standard oven temperature because results may vary. I would start with 350 and maybe 10 minutes, but with kale chips you have to watch it carefully. The results vary due to a lot of factors and if you only have a little handful of kale it will take less time. I always start with 5 minutes and add as I go to ensure you won’t be left with a burnt pile of kale at the end like I have following many other recipes.
Kale is so unique and so fun to grow. Just be creative when trying new things. If the texture is too hard for you, massage it in your hands until it breaks down. This gives it a softer feel making it easier to eat and digest. Add in some lemon juice and an avocado and you are set! Enjoy!