clueless about kale

Kale recipe

1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1/2 cup of vegetable broth or water
Sea salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Warm olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or pan. Add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly translucent. Be sure to stir the onions around once in a while so that they don't burn.

Add garlic and kale and mix them together with onions. Allow garlic, kale and onions to cook for one minute, then add vegetable broth and cover pot or pan for 4-6 minutes. Check kale from time to time starting at the 4 minute mark for tenderness.

Once kale is tender, add sea salt and just a few drops of lemon juice. Give it one last stir and serve.

Be sure to taste as you add lemon juice. Adding too much can turn the whole dish sour.

Serve with avocado and a bowl of brown rice or quinoa. Some of my friends add a tsp of sesame oil also.

Mashed potato cakes with onion and kale

Ingredients
12 cups water
1 bunch kale, trimmed (about 4 ounces)
2 2/3 cups (1-inch) cubed Yukon gold or red potato (about 1 pound)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
3 cups diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Sage sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven; add kale. Cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender. Remove kale with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid. Chop kale and set aside.

Add potato to reserved cooking liquid in pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; partially mash potatoes. Stir in kale and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, diced onion, and chopped sage. Cook 13 minutes or until browned. Combine potato mixture, onion mixture, green onions, and pepper. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Divide potato mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

Broil patties for 5 minutes or until browned. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 246 (26% from fat)
Fat: 7g (sat 2.4g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 5.1g
Carbohydrate: 43.2g
Fiber: 5.1g
Cholesterol: 8mg
Iron: 2.6mg
Sodium: 495mg
Calcium: 87mg

You can also use kale raw in a green smoothie. I take fresh kale and chop it up and put it in a ziploc in the freezer for this purpose.

Here's one to get you started. Serves 2:

One pear
one banana
handful of kale
enough water or orange juice to get everything liquid-y

Blend until all is very, very liquified.

The sweetness of the fruit covers up the kale-y taste, but you get all of the kale-y benefits. I served it to a grandchild (I called it "dinosaur juice") and he drank it right down, so that's how un-kale-y it is.

It's high in fruit sugar, so be aware.

You can also chop it up and add it to soup during the last ten minutes or so of cooking.