Kale

Kale is an amazing superfood that is rich in antioxidants and fiber and can help combat high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes. You can use it in soups, stews, or salads or roast it in the oven and make crispy chips. I especially love how it is very hardy and doesn’t wilt easily. You can make a kale salad and keep it in the fridge for several days even with the dressing on it and it will still be delicious.

BIG BATCH ROASTED KALE
This recipe calls for 4 bunches of curly kale but you can easily scale it down or up and use whatever type of kale you have. Cook a little longer for the sturdier varieties (like curly kale) and reduce the cooking time for more delicate varieties or baby kale.

BROWN RICE AND KALE ARANCINI
At the height of the pandemic I was trying to buy groceries 3 weeks at a time so was going heavy on dry goods and working on ways to incorporate them into a meal that still included plenty of veg. I made a double batch of these (although I highly recommend short grain rice over long and I used sharp cheddar cubes). Served them over tomato sauce and everyone gobbled them up and no one even asked what the green stuff was!

CAESAR KALE PASTA SALAD
No recipe needed! Grab a bunch of kale, chop it up into smallish pieces and toss it with 8 oz of cooled bow tie pasta. Add a splash of your favorite Caesar salad dressing and top it with crumbled whole wheat pita chips and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Perfect for a hot summer night.

CHARRED KALE PIZZA WITH GARLIC
This is our new go-to pizza. Loads of garlic, a melty cheese blend and crispy kale on top. Still good reheated too!

CURLY KALE & FETA BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
30 minute breakfast casserole. This is great on it’s own or sandwiched in an English muffin.

EASY KALE LASAGNA
When my kids ask me what we’re having for dinner there are certain things that will always get a cheer. Lasagna is one of them. Will they be slightly less enthused when they see that there’s kale in it? Probably. But they love lasagna enough that they’ll eat it anyway and it’s not easy to pick the kale out [insert evil genius laugh here].

FALL HARVEST HONEYCRISP APPLE AND KALE SALAD
This gorgeous fall salad is a great way to make a kale salad kid friendly. No fig preserves? Just use honey or maple syrup.

KALE SALAD WITH DATES, PARMESAN AND ALMONDS
I love the combination of sweet, salty and crunchy and this salad accomplishes all of that. One of my favorite things about kale is that you can dress it and it will still keep for a day or two and not go all wilty like lettuce does.

KING OF GREENS SALAD
This is one of my favorite kale salads. The trick is in “massaging” the kale – kale can be a bit on the tough/chewy side but this quick little trick softens it up and the flavor combination of tart lemons, sweet currants and salty pecorino cheese is amazing. I frequently substitute parmesan for the pecorino.

WHOLE FOODS KALE SUPERFOOD SALAD
Have you ever tried that Kale Superfood Salad at Wholefoods? I love it but prefer to make it with my own ingredients so I searched around and found this recipe that is just as delicious and will use up your kale and cabbage. I usually make one big batch and have it for lunches or with dinner. The beauty of hearty greens like kale and cabbage is that they will last for a few days even with the dressing on them. I frequently don’t bother making the dressing in this recipe though and go with a bottled dressing. I have found Blueberry Acai Dressings but if not, I use a raspberry vinaigrette.

WILD RICE GRATIN WITH KALE, CARAMELIZED ONIONS, AND BABY SWISS
This is a great recipe to have on hand because you likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry or can easily swap them for ones that you do have. The wild rice could be swapped for pretty much any kind of rice and it would be equally delicious with cheddar cheese, fontina or feta if you didn’t have swiss.