How to Make Kale Salad

Kale is like, the most popular vegetable on the planet right now. If it could get an academy award it would. In fact, it deserves its own cover on People. Do you know why it’s so popular? Because it’s like, the best thing you could ever put in your body. But if you’re like most people, you might be wondering why you can’t jump on the kale bandwagon. What is it about this leafy green and purple that even tastes remotely good? I’m here to save the day and let you know there are lots of ways to make kale delicious—the easiest and one of the healthiest of which is to make a kale salad. And here’s how you do it.

1)      Grab a bushel of green or purple kale. I like to mix green and purple so I get one of each

2)      Wash

3)      Peel kale from the spines

4)      Mush kale all together on a cutting board and slice very thinly, as if you were making shredded iceberg lettuce (which has like, no nutritional value by the way)

5)      Put in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil

6)      Add the juice of half a lemon (or whole, depending on how much you’re making)

7)      Add course sea salt and pepper

8)      Take off your rings and get your hands in there. Massage that kale like you love it. Get the oil and lemon juice all up in those leaves. (This makes sure the kale is not dry and gross, and is a very important step in the process)

9)      Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (freshly shaved is the best but as you see from my picture I used (gasp!) Kraft)

10)   To make a real meal out of it and be like an incredibly delicious restaurant my sister Linde takes me to in Reno called Campo, pile salad high on a plate and top with an over-medium fried egg. You have to trust me on this.
 

 

 

 

Other Kale Recipes on BATF:

Kale Recipes

Where's the Kale?

Vegan Kale Dish (and fantasy dessert)

All Kale Bacon!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Obviously we love our Kale.

And, the top 10 reasons Kale is so damn good for you, according to www.mindbodygreen.com :

Kale is being called “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” Here are ten great benefits of adding more kale to your diet:

 

1. Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

 

2. Kale is high in iron. Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

 

3. Kale is high in Vitamin K. Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

 

4. Kale is filled with powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

 

5. Kale is a great anti-inflammatory food. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

 

6. Kale is great for cardiovascular support. Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

 

7. Kale is high in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

 

8. Kale is high in Vitamin C. This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

 

9. Kale is high in calcium. Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

 

10. Kale is a great detox food. Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

 

Kale: What I Would Have Made If I Had Time to Cook

I made a pledge to the Beauties that I would move heaven and earth to post every month in 2012. However, every accountant's nemesis - BUSY SEASON - has raised its ugly head this month. I've been coming in early, staying late and working weekends. JJ, my wonderful husband, has been doing most (read - ALL) of the cooking and when I brought up the idea of making something with kale he wasn't all that enthused. (Of course, had the monthly ingredient been beef, venison, pork or pickles he would have been all over it.) I'm not complaining - if someone else is cooking I'm not fussy!

So this is what I would have made if I had time to cook this month. I found this recipe on epicurious. It looks pretty simple and fairly versatile - you could mix it up by using different types of sausage. Several of the reviews suggested adding garlic also - well of course, please, that goes without saying, just like salt and pepper! I hope to have time to cook this in the coming weeks :) If someone makes it let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb hot turkey or pork sausage, casings discarded and sausage crumbled

1/2 lb kale, tough stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

1/2 lb dried egg fettucini (or regular fettucini or whatever noodles you have on the shelf)

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano plus additional for serving (I would use waaayyyyyy more than this)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat. Cook the sausage, breaking up any lumps with a spoon, until browned, 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch kale in a large pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove with a large sieve and drain. Return cooking water in pot to a boil (love the recycling here), then cook pasta, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, add the kale to the sausage in the skillet and saute, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Then add the pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, tossing until combined. Stir in the cheese and thin with additional cooking water if desired.

Serve immediately, with additional cheese on the side (or on top). Lot of additional cheese :)

All Kale Bacon!

Okay, I have had some exciting things happen to me in the last couple of weeks.  First, I got this beauty:

Yes, that is a cup holder.

I finally got to go Stand up Paddle Boarding with my friend Joyce:

Me working those abs!  They are there somewhere.... I swear.

Then an even MORE exciting thing happened to me:

That's right it is Girl Scout cookie season!   I can't resist those cute little girls at the grocery store who say "Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies ma'am?"  I ignore the ma'am of course and then buy myself a couple of boxes that magically disappear*.


*Since I couldn't stand to post a close up picture of me on the paddle board I realized I had to lay off my cookie eating (don't judge).  I was super pumped to discover that you can now buy them and the Girl Scouts ship them to the troops!  This way I can still buy them and feel good and not consume them, you know one or two at a time......


I decided that I should actually cook a meal for myself before I turned from "ahhhh, poor Megan" to "um, that is pathetic and I can't read anymore".    I have to tell you this was a struggle for me to do.   I am now going to be eating the bag of kale I bought for a week.  This would be fine since I love me some Kale except that means dirtying some dishes and having to turn on the stove.  I have the Pinterest bug like several of us beauties.   I have had my radar up for anything with Kale in it.  I am also cheap these days.   I have to admit some of the reason for my lack of cooking at home is that I have to buy every single ingredient.   It gets expensive!  I finally found both an easy and cheap meal to throw together:

Kale Carbonara

You can find the original recipe on a different blog: Kale Carbonara.  This was really delicious.   It turned out exactly like I was hoping for: cheap, easy, and good (nobody comment on that please).  How can you go wrong with some top food favorites: pasta, bacon, cheese, and red pepper flakes?


Kale Carbonara

Ingredients

1 lb whole-wheat thin spaghetti

3 pieces thick-cut bacon, diced

1 bunch Lacinato Kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped

2 eggs

Garlic

1 cup grated parmesan chees

salt and pepper to taste

1 package of mushrooms

red pepper flakes

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions
2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat
3. Add diced bacon, and saute until crispy
4. Remove half the fat from the pan, and add the kale, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan with the bacon
5. Saute kale until wilted
6. Whisk eggs together in a bowl with the cheese and some salt and black pepper (and red pepper if you want spicy)
7. Once pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the kale and bacon.  Turn off the heat
8. Immediately add the egg/cheese mixture to the hot pasta, kale and bacon.  Stir to combine.  If it appears too dry, add some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up a bit.

Fun Beauties Fact:  Rachel, Jolie and I shared an apartment for 3 years in college.  Rachel and I would  often make pasta, throw in some butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic and eat it right out of the pot.  When I graduated college, I had to throw out several of my shirts due to the butter stain in the exact same spot.  That is how I roll!  

Healthy and Quick (but Tasty) Vegan Kale Dish with Fantasy Dessert

How do you do a whole post on a basic idea I got on my original Kale post that Allison Bay (a great family friend who is awesome in the kitchen despite having 3 boys of her own) gave me? The answer lies in a review of Seattle’s Best Dessert I had the opportunity to try recently.

But first the healthy Kale recipe.



Ingredients:
Garlic
Mushrooms (or any other favorite veggie you like)
Kale
Can of Tomatoes
Salt/Pepper (Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s)
Optional Veggie Sausages or meat substitute
Cooked Brown Rice

Sauté up the garlic with the mushrooms. If you are on a diet don’t use oil, the mushrooms create enough liquid or add some water. Add the chopped up Kale and a can of tomatoes. Sauté until the Kale is tender. Throw in the cooked rice, cooked meat, and you have a healthy but quick dinner!

We have been cooking the brown rice on a Sunday and then putting in the fridge for the week. Andre and I were both shocked at how great this recipe turned out. It also had such bright colors. (Which was also consumed on Super Bowl Sunday to continue with the theme!)


Once you feel great about having a healthy dinner you can afford, in calories and money, it’s time for a special treat! Recently, my Dad retired after 29 years with the same partners from his law firm--Peizer, Richards, and Ziontz. I am proud of my dad’s work as a lawyer and being able to hear all the amazing stories his partners shared at our special dinner only made me glow more with pride.

We had a perfect private room at Tango Restaurant and Lounge in Seattle. There were many fabulous dishes but when I heard we were going to try the “Best Dessert in Seattle” I perked up. The “El Diablo” is the famous dessert, I learned, that has been featured on the Food Network and voted Best Dessert from City Search. It’s described in the menu as: Bittersweet cube of sinfully rich dark chocolate graced with cayenne, spicy almonds, cocoa nibs and burnt meringue finished with a tequila caramel sauce.



Here is a picture of my eaten El Diablo. It was so light and fluffy! The taste changes during the whole bite. I am not a huge spicy fan in my regular dishes but the spice in this dessert was perfect. I’ll give it best dessert in Seattle too, even if you aren’t a big dessert fan you would like this!

Isn’t Emily always saying how great healthy Dark Chocolate is?? If anyone can try and recreate this dish, it would be Emily. I can be your taste tester!

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

February Ingredient: Kale

In case you haven’t gotten the memo, it’s KALE MONTH at Beauties and the Feast. I hadn’t discovered Kale until last summer when I joined my very first CSA (Acme Farms and Kitchen) and we got Kale almost every week. I can’t believe how lovely this little green plant is. It’s good in just about anything and is one of the best things you can put in your body. I spent at least a couple of hours researching Kale recipes. Then I finally decided on a copycat recipe for Zuppa Toscana, which is one of the yummy soups made by the Olive Garden. Yes, my friends, you can even find Kale at the Olive Garden.

It's a simple soup to make, it turns out! Didn't take me very long and I loved how few ingredients I actually needed to buy. Kale seems to be good in just about anything!

Ingredients

· 2 bunches Kale, torn Into Bite Sized Pieces

· 12 whole Red Potatoes, Sliced Thin

· 1 whole Onion, Chopped

· 1-1/2 pound Italian Sausage

· 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)

· 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

· 2 cups Whole Milk

· 4 cups Half-and-half

· Splash Of Heavy Cream

· Fresh Or Dried Oregano

· Salt and Pepper To Taste

Directions

Boil the potatoes until tender, drain. Brown sausage with chopped onion in a large pot and drain as much grease as you can. Add Red Pepper Flakes, Dried Oregano and Salt and Pepper to the cooked Sausage. Add Chicken Broth, Whole Milk and Half and Half and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and Kale. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add a splash of heavy cream at the end for richness. Taste! Add seasoning if you need it.

This is what the potatoes should look like when you cut them

I chose the mild sausage JUST IN CASE my kids would eat it. Should have bought the spicy.

Hello, Kale. I love you.

Mmmmm... Sausage

Kid's portion. Don't worry: we eat way more than this.

I served this soup with a side of mini bagel sandwiches since I knew the kids would eat those and it was a very yummy combination. (Wished I’d had some of those buttery salty Olive Garden bread sticks though!).

Overall, I’d give this soup 3 out of 4 stars—only because I’m not a big sausage fan, but I knew one way I could get my husband to eat Kale Soup would be to call it “Sausage Soup with Kale” and he would have given it 4 stars for sure.
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For a lower fat soup, I’d recommend using ground turkey and using all chicken broth instead of cream. Still sounds yummy, doesn’t it?

Special thanks to

Marathon Sweetheart for the bad-ass Kale cartoon

"Where's the Kale?" Recipes

I was stoked when Jolie picked kale because I keep running into cool articles all about kale and its health benefits. I asked my brother the other day if he's ever had kale and his was response was "Yeah, that's the stuff we'd use as garnish for the salad to make it look pretty." 

Unfortunately Popeye didn't eat kale so we (I) never realized how superfoodie it really is until recently. Now that I think of it, Popeye needs to make a comeback. Hollywood is remaking every other childhood cartoon in theaters; maybe a superhero who gets strong and awesome from eating his dark, leafy greens should be next. Pleeease, for the sake of my child!

I really do like kale. I only got a small taste of Emily's peanut sauce kale salad and I'm still dreaming about it. But the kiddo gives me a tight-lipped, vigorous head shake when I present anything green to him. So I went a different direction and tried to hide kale in foods I thought he might eat. 

I'll start with smoothies. I've been making green smoothies in my blender for a while now. And I know there are a thousand recipes out there for the perfect smoothie but you know how I don't like to follow recipes, so here's how I roll:

Smoothie base:

1 cup kale (fresh or frozen)

1 banana (for texture)

Coconut milk

Water

Optional: 1 tbsp honey 

Add-ins, fresh or frozen:

Mixed berries

Pineapple chunks

Apple

Mango

Kiwi

Strawberries

Chop, blend, puree, drink, done! Use more or less of the water/coco milk for your desired thickness. Drink one each day for a week and see if you start to feel better, fuller, more energy. If you don't like your blended drink, switch it up. I love banana/strawberry/kiwi or mixed berries/apple/pineapple. Make stuff up. Choke it down if you have to. And you can thank me later...

Hard to notice that slushy green drink behind such a pretty nail, I know.
Sally Hansen's "Wined up" in case you wondered.

My toddler loves the smoothies and I don't even add sweetener. It makes me feel like a superhero when I see him chugging one down. The other way I sneak attack kale or spinach into his food is by stuffing it into a grilled cheese sandwich. A green smoothie with kale grilled cheese sandwich -- meal of champions.

Little Popeye

I tried to get a little more creative with kale than just smoothies and grilled cheese, so I decided to stuff it in an appetizer I wanted to try for the Super Bowl. And since I was heading to Emily's to watch the game, I knew she'd be down to eat some kale with me. In fact, kale made an appearance in pretty much everything we ate that day, thank you BATF.

On Pinterest I found a recipe for Southwest Egg Rolls (from CakeandAllie.com) that looked appetizing. So naturally, I created a slightly cheater version. And let's sub the spinach for kale this time...

Pictured here are the SW Egg Rolls, Avocado-Sour Cream Dip and some rolls stuffed with Emily's leftover Butternut Squash Sausage filling -- with kale added. Mmmm.

Southwest Egg Rolls:

2 cups frozen southwest corn blend (with black beans and peppers)
1-9 oz package frozen chopped kale, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1-7oz can diced green chiles, drained
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers (I used egg roll)

Mix all ingredients together. Spray pan and line with egg roll wrappers. Brush egg white on top of wrappers and fill with mixture. Roll wrappers, tucking in corners as you go. Brush more egg white over top of roll. Cook in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, turning once, until slightly browned. 

Don't stop there. I had a bunch of leftover egg roll wrappers (btw, loving how fun and easy egg rolls are) so I created another roll for dinner later in the week. I present to you:

Chicken and Wild Rice Egg Rolls: 

1lb chicken, seasoned, cooked and chopped (leftovers work great)

1 box of wild or brown rice

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of kale, raw and torn into pieces

Egg roll wrappers

1 egg white

Make your rice according to package directions and if the instructions call for the rice to simmer, add the peas to the pot then. Add cooked rice, peas, kale and chicken to a bowl and mix together. Spray pan and line with egg roll wrappers. Brush egg white on top of wrappers and fill with mixture. Roll wrappers, tucking in corners as you go. Brush more egg white over top of roll. Cook in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, turning once, until slightly browned.

The theme here is you can go wild with egg rolls and smoothies and be as inventive as you want. Plus, they mask the healthy stuff really well. I'm happy to give this post the seal of "kid" approval. Enjoy!

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Kale Recipes

Posted by Emily

I really, REALLY love kale. It’s so healthy and something easy to have on hand to chop up and throw in smoothies, homemade soups or salads. Kale chips are all the rage right now and I’ve wanted to try making them, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. And this would have been the perfect opportunity, BUT I got a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid for Christmas, so I really wanted to incorporate this secret ingredient into homemade pasta! Plus I made a few other recipes (below) and didn’t want to be a complete kale recipe hog! The “chips” will be on my agenda for another time.

And I don’t know about the rest of you, but Pinterest is a gold mine for these secret ingredient challenges. Type “penne” or “kale” into the search box and next thing you know, you’ve wasted 30 minutes scrolling and drooling! And anyone who is following me probably already got the hint that either kale or quinoa was going to be the big secret ingredient for February.

Here are the three kale recipes I’ve made this month. And even if you don’t have a pasta maker, you can keep reading, because ravioli is easy to make with wonton wrappers. Plus there are two more super easy kale recipes below. Promise.

KALE RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND TOPPED WITH KALE WALNUT PESTO 

This pesto is pretty similar to Jolie’s kale butter, but of course I found a recipe that incorporates cheese! 


Homemade Kale Pasta 
Adapted from Jillian’s Kitchen

Serves 4 (I made a double batch)

 ¾ Cup Fresh Kale – de-stemmed and Chopped
1.5 Cup Flour (I used King Arthur Pasta Flour)
1 Egg
1tsp Olive Oil
3TBSP Water
1/4tsp Salt
Additional Flour for rolling/storing.

Rinse and dry the kale, then place in a food processor and mix until very finely chopped. Mix the kale with the flour until evenly mixed, add the egg, olive oil, salt and water and mix until evenly incorporated.

Gently form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap that you have rubbed a little bit of oil on. Put in the refrigerator and let it sit for 2 hours. Make ravioli filling (recipe below) while the pasta is resting.

Once the dough has had a chance to rest, remove it from the refrigerator and cut it into 4 equal sections. Make each section into its own flat disc and run it through your pasta roller on the thickest setting, fold the dough in half and run it through again, keep doing this until the pasta has stretched to the width of the pasta roller.

Now move the rollers so it is on the next setting and run the pasta through once or twice. Continue this process of stretching the dough and thinning it out moving the rollers closer together one step at a time, until you have a desired thickness for ravioli.

Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage Ravioli Filling 
Adapted from Haute Apple Pie

1 cup pureed butternut squash
1/4 cup NF Greek Yogurt (I was going to use mascarpone, but had to go to plan B when there wasn’t any in my fridge)
2-3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan plus more to grate or shave on the final dish
dash of nutmeg
1 recipe kale pasta dough or 1 package wonton wrappers
Amaretti cookies, crushed
1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 onion, chopped.

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss the squash with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes. Puree the squash with the Greek yogurt and Parmesan cheese. Mix in a tiny bit of nutmeg and then place in the refrigerator to allow it to cool down.

Cook the onion until soft. Add the sausage, break into small bits and cook until done. Mix the sausage with the butternut squash puree.

Put a dallop of the squash/sausage mixture on the pasta sheets about 3 inches a part.

Top with another pasta sheet and cut with a ravioli cutter (they’re nice because they crimp the dough together) or a biscuit cutter or water glass (if you use this method, you may need to make an egg wash to seal the pasta or wonton wrappers).

Gently drop into boiling water and cook for about 3 minute or until they float. Serve topped with kale pesto, crumbled amaretti cookies and freshly grated Parmesean cheese.

Kale and Toasted Walnut Pesto
From TasteSpotting the blog

You can make this pesto with plain (raw) walnuts, but toasting them gives them a little extra flavor that can hang with the slightly more intense (and bitter) taste of kale.

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients
½ cup plain/raw walnuts, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed
about 3 cups chopped kale
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ – 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and stir constantly (or gently shake pan) until toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let the walnuts cool.

Pulse garlic clove ion food processor until it is chopped finely, about 30 seconds. Add kale, toasted walnuts and Parmesan cheese and pulse until chopped. You may have to stop the food processor, open the top, and push the kale down toward the blades. With the food processor running on low, add olive oil in a steady stream until you get the consistency you want. Season to taste with salt and pepper (we used about 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper).

Recipe #2: SAUTEED KALE AND ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Yes, I’m on a squash/kale kick. The orange squash and bright green kale just look so good together!


Ingredients: 
Butternut Squash
Kale, washed, stems removed
Olive Oil
Rosemary or other fresh herbs
Brown sugar, honey or agave syrup Salt and Pepper

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400.

Chop the butternut squash (or buy pre-peeled and chopped from Costco!), I leave the peel on and slice in my Cuisinart. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, salt, pepper and a little brown sugar. Roast on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Five minutes before the squash is done, sauté the chopped kale in a pan with a little sesame oil (or your favorite kind). Mix the roasted squash in and serve!

Recipe #3: KALE SALAD WITH SPICY PEANUT DRESSING 

Salad Ingredients:
Kale (remove stems) and chopped
Red Onion, sliced thin (Amber, you can leave this out!)
Peanuts (I used toffee peanuts)

Dressing ingredients (I wouldn’t be too exact here, just blend up whatever ingredients you have on hand):

1/2 cup orange juice and grated rind from one orange
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 T. peanut butter
 2 T. almond butter
1 t. soy sauce
1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 clove garlic
¼ cup kimchee

Blend all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth. Toss kale with sliced red onions, peanuts and dressing.

Since we now know kale is a powerhouse super food, Missy and I have been joking that we’re going to start sneaking kale into everything we eat. Our husband’s are already rolling their eyes! Pin It