Kale suggstions

ahoy_m8
ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
Gotta be honest, I don't love it. Love other greens... collards, turnip greens, chard, spinach... just not kale. It's so chew-y.

Does anyone cook it in some fashion as a side dish? I have a bunch at the moment and am wondering what I can do to use it this weekend. I'll have lots of teenaged mouths to feed. We'll be smoking chicken & ribs Saturday. Ideas appreciated!
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Replies

  • Juniper210
    Juniper210 Posts: 77 Member
    My teen boys love homemade kale chips. Rip the kale into bite sized chunks, spray with a little olive oil, toss on some garlic powder and salt and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully cause they'll burn.

    The only other way they'll bother to eat it is sauteed in with my sweet potato noodles.
  • rubestina
    rubestina Posts: 1 Member
    I always put kale in my smoothies. But I also cook it with breakfast a lot. I always use a genius amount of olive oil and a lot of salt and cook it in the pan until it's super crispy. Sooo good and my boyfriend who would never touch It, tried it and liked it so much he put it in his stir fry for dinner that night! He's 28, so he's similar to a teenage boy haha
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
    The only way I can stomach it is in a soup with a bunch of other stuff. I don't buy it.
  • ashbabe25
    ashbabe25 Posts: 173 Member
    I like to sautée it with a bit of oil, garlic, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. You can chop it up so the pieces aren't so big.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    With a big hunk of smoked pork or turkey. Or sauteed in bacon fat.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I've heard that if you place it in a food processor and grind it up really small it makes a good compost. ;) Other than that I think it ranks right up there with tree bark. It might be good for you but who wants to eat it?
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    Green smoothies are the only way I'll touch it-in my smoothies I don't taste it at all lol.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Juniper210 wrote: »
    My teen boys love homemade kale chips. Rip the kale into bite sized chunks, spray with a little olive oil, toss on some garlic powder and salt and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully cause they'll burn.

    The only other way they'll bother to eat it is sauteed in with my sweet potato noodles.

    omg.... sweet potato noodles!!!
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    I've heard that if you place it in a food processor and grind it up really small it makes a good compost. ;) Other than that I think it ranks right up there with tree bark. It might be good for you but who wants to eat it?

    hahahaa.... love your description. I kinda feel that way, too! But I'm gonna branch out! You guys remind me of this
    ffcazhfp8awr.gif

    Anything sauteed with bacon is gonna be ok!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It's really good in soups. The classic kale and sausage is a good one. http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/mediterranean-kale-white-bean-soup-with-sausage

    I often sautee it in garlic, onions, and olive oil and then add a bit of vinegar at the end. Adding bacon and cooking it in the bacon fat is, of course, a delicious option.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's really good in soups. The classic kale and sausage is a good one. http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/mediterranean-kale-white-bean-soup-with-sausage

    I often sautee it in garlic, onions, and olive oil and then add a bit of vinegar at the end. Adding bacon and cooking it in the bacon fat is, of course, a delicious option.

    These are the ways that I usually cook it.

    Great in a lentil soup recipe that I use and when I saute it, I don't use any vinegar but bacon w/kale is a great saute combo.

  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    Gotta be honest, I don't love it. Love other greens... collards, turnip greens, chard, spinach... just not kale. It's so chew-y.

    Does anyone cook it in some fashion as a side dish? I have a bunch at the moment and am wondering what I can do to use it this weekend. I'll have lots of teenaged mouths to feed. We'll be smoking chicken & ribs Saturday. Ideas appreciated!


    @ahoy_m8
    Have you tried massaging Kale it with a bit of lemon & olive oil? Massaging it helps break down the leaves and soften them, it gives a very different mouth feel. The taste is also much different.. it really is tasty in a salad when you massage the Kale first, it's the acidity and the oil that alters it. I think I've got a link .. I'll put it below.

    I took a class on soups, sushi and healthy salads which of course Kale was included in. :laugh: This is where I learned about massaging Kale for the first time. I found it much harder to eat the leaves before I learned this trick, (so I didn't lol) so I do understand why many don't care for the texture.


    "Why massage kale? Kale is a fantastic leafy green because of its texture which lends to a wide variety of ways to work with this green. Kale is great for steaming, sauteing, adding it to soups or stews for a more hearty mouthfeel, adding it finely chopped to a salad, or of course enjoying it blended in a green smoothie. Basically, massaging is a process of physically breaking down the kale to make it easier to digest. Think of it in this way – digestion starts in your mouth, and kale has a very rough texture which takes a lot of mastication (aka chewing) on our parts before we can swallow it. Massaging prior to eating is like pre-digesting the kale. So give your kale some love. Go ahead and massage away! Your jaws and tummy will thank you."

    http://nutritionstripped.com/massaged-kale-salad/

    Massaged Kale Salad

    Prep time: 5 mins
    Cook time: 5 mins
    Total time: 10 mins
    Serves: 1

    Ingredients

    2 heavy handfuls (2-3 cups) of organic raw kale leaves (I prefer the lacinato a.k.a. "dino" variety)
    1 tsp. of olive oil (I've use truffle oil occasionally and it is AMAZING)
    1 lemon, juiced
    1 tsp. of Celtic sea salt

    Instructions

    De-stem the kale leaves from the stem by simply placing your index finger and middle finger (in the shape of a claw), and "claw" down the center of the leaf to de-stem while simultaneously pulling the leaf away from you with your other hand.
    In a large bowl, combine the de-stemmed kale leaves with the remaining ingredients.
    Lightly pour an additional 1 tsp. of olive oil onto your hands to coat.
    Using a massaging action (similar to kneading bread dough), start to tear the leaves apart and massage.
    Continue massaging for about 2-5 minutes or until the leaves are softened, the leaves will also turn a more vibrant green.
    Use this as a salad base or add toppings of your choice for a complete meal in a bowl.

  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
    First off, kale is a Fall/Early Winter green. I find that the kale I buy in the summer from the farmer's market can be very "chewy." The kale I get in the Fall is almost sweet and very tender.

    But, I find that cooking it for 30 minutes takes the toughness out for the most part.

    If you buy a bunch of kale (and not the bags of chopped kale), strip it from the large center stem and rinse.

    I then fry up about 3 strips of reduced fat/sodium bacon until it's halfway cooked. You could also use ham or pancetta.

    Remove bacon and add kale to the large pan and stir fry and crush the kale down with a wooden spoon. While doing this, I generally sprinkle in about 2 tsps. of red wine vinegar. Then I add close to 32 ounces of chicken broth depending on how much kale I have. If you only have a small amount of kale, decrease both the chicken broth and bacon.

    Cover skillet and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited July 2017
    ashbabe25 wrote: »
    I like to sautée it with a bit of oil, garlic, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. You can chop it up so the pieces aren't so big.

    This is the way I cook it. If you don't like it chewy, you can pan braise it by starting it with some broth in the pan in addition to these ingredients. It will be more tender that way.

    I'm a vegetarian, but before I became one, I used to start the whole process by rendering 2-3 pieces of cut up bacon in the pan and softening the garlic in the bacon fat, then adding the kale and broth and covering to steam/braise. Remove the lid after about a half hour, crank up the heat and cook until the liquid evaporates.
  • pineapple_jojo
    pineapple_jojo Posts: 440 Member
    Cut through the ribs when preparing it so they cook more easily. I stick kale in everything, I love it!
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Thanks, all!
  • BobbieSparks2
    BobbieSparks2 Posts: 12 Member
    I use it in smoothies and also sauteed with onion and garlic then i add it to my scrambled eggs for breakfast.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    Recently discovered that you can dehydrate all sorts of leafy greens, kale, spinach, dandelion greens... a friend is growing pumpkin... and yes... pumpkin leaves... dry them out toss them into a blender or food processor... grind them up and boom... healthy nutritious green powder that you can add to any recipe... y'all are welcome
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    Recently discovered that you can dehydrate all sorts of leafy greens, kale, spinach, dandelion greens... a friend is growing pumpkin... and yes... pumpkin leaves... dry them out toss them into a blender or food processor... grind them up and boom... healthy nutritious green powder that you can add to any recipe... y'all are welcome

    This is really cool, do you know if you can do this without a dehydrator?
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I've been making a kale & cheddar cheese & apple salad. You can Google the recipe. You cut the kale in small, thin ribbons. Add the olive oil/lemon dressing and let it marinate for 15-30 minutes. It kind of softens up a little, and the salad keeps well for a day.
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    bmitchelmfp wrote: »
    1q35ii.jpg

    i came here to post that. lol
  • 0911shunamite
    0911shunamite Posts: 150 Member
    edited July 2017
    Kale haters make ne giggle with your memes! It's not an easy leaf to enjoy!
    We like to make kale chips or braise it with some pan fried sweet potatoe chunks with an over easy egg and bacon the IMPORTANT thing for this dish is the seasoning WHITE PEPPER and a bit of salt. It's fantastic my 5/3 year old kids like it even.
    Also good in a Italian sausage soup or chicken soup - I light to braise it before adding to the soup though especially with garlic it takes away the bitterness and adds more flavor.
    I've also juiced it which isn't terrible my biggest complaint was that I hard got any juice out of it. Good luck!
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    jessiferrrb wrote: »
    bmitchelmfp wrote: »
    1q35ii.jpg

    i came here to post that. lol

    Many of us did.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    OliveGirl128 wrote: »
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    Recently discovered that you can dehydrate all sorts of leafy greens, kale, spinach, dandelion greens... a friend is growing pumpkin... and yes... pumpkin leaves... dry them out toss them into a blender or food processor... grind them up and boom... healthy nutritious green powder that you can add to any recipe... y'all are welcome

    This is really cool, do you know if you can do this without a dehydrator?

    I imagine if you put the leaves in a low temp oven...say 120 degrees for 4-6 hours... the nice thing about a dehydrator is the shelf space mine accommodates 5 shelves. They are not that expensive... and are great for all kinds of fud
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    AlvarezLorin0911 wrote: »
    Kale haters make ne giggle with your memes! It's not an easy leaf to enjoy!
    We like to make kale chips or braise it with some pan fried sweet potatoe chunks with an over easy egg and bacon the IMPORTANT thing for this dish is the seasoning WHITE PEPPER and a bit of salt. It's fantastic my 5/3 year old kids like it even.
    Also good in a Italian sausage soup or chicken soup - I light to braise it before adding to the soup though especially with garlic it takes away the bitterness and adds more flavor.
    I've also juiced it which isn't terrible my biggest complaint was that I hard got any juice out of it. Good luck!

    i'm not gonna lie, i enjoy some kale from time to time, and i use it in smoothies a lot. i just think it's provided us with some dank memes.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    Gently fried with garlic and oil/butter until it's not so damn chewy any more. But really it's only fit for rabbits or the bin tbh :)
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    OliveGirl128 wrote: »
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    Recently discovered that you can dehydrate all sorts of leafy greens, kale, spinach, dandelion greens... a friend is growing pumpkin... and yes... pumpkin leaves... dry them out toss them into a blender or food processor... grind them up and boom... healthy nutritious green powder that you can add to any recipe... y'all are welcome

    This is really cool, do you know if you can do this without a dehydrator?

    I imagine if you put the leaves in a low temp oven...say 120 degrees for 4-6 hours... the nice thing about a dehydrator is the shelf space mine accommodates 5 shelves. They are not that expensive... and are great for all kinds of fud

    Did some googling and found directions how to do them in the oven so going to give it a whirl, but yeah-dehydrator is now on my Christmas wish list lol :)
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    Pressure cook kale - it helps. It's still very fibery unless you remove the spine. Once you do that it's much better. Also, put fresh kale in the freezer over night - it helps to break down the fibers. In the south we eat a lot of "greens" kale, collards, mustard, etc... It always tastes best after a freeze.
  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
    Sunna_W wrote: »
    Pressure cook kale - it helps. It's still very fibery unless you remove the spine. Once you do that it's much better. Also, put fresh kale in the freezer over night - it helps to break down the fibers. In the south we eat a lot of "greens" kale, collards, mustard, etc... It always tastes best after a freeze.


    Oh wow, that's good to know. Thanks for the tip. Going to the farmer's market tomorrow so I'm going to try that.
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