Cooking Tip! How to Cook with Kale
Kale, the new mega vitamin-rich superfood. It's the talk of the town. I've used Kale in my smoothies for years, but I always purchased it from local Farmer's Markets. We moved into our new home around Thanksgiving of last year. In the spring, we perused our property and found an array of lovely perennials and a kale plant that was growing from last year's garden...crazy! I did not realize that Kale was a perennial plant, but apparently, according to my sources, this was an anomaly. That being said, with my plethora of Kale in my garden, I decided to find other uses for this nutritional powerhouse beyond the traditional smoothie, that I could sneak into my kid's meals (I love being sneaky).
Here are some uses for Kale:
- Soups- Rinse and finely chop the Kale, removing and discarding the stems. Add Kale to soups during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Egg dishes- Add chopped Kale to your favorite Quiche or Frittata.
- Salads- Either use solely in a salad, or mix with other greens
- Chips- The newest diet snack craze. Simply rinse and dry kale, coat with olive oil, and season with your favorite seasonings. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, and you have a delightful healthy snack.
- Coleslaw- Combine Kale with Cabbage and Carrots, and toss with your favorite Cole Slaw dressing.
- Pasta dishes- Use Kale in place of spinach (or along with) in your favorite lasagna, casserole, or pasta dish.
- Sauteed- Combine Kale with Garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar, and cook for about five minutes or until just soft, not mushy.