Monday, August 29, 2011

On Kale

Even with school back in sess, I am still spending time in the kitchen.  That time is very important to me. So here is the story: I never used to eat kale.  Years have gone by without kale ever making it on the shopping list.  Now that is bad since I feel I have bought (or have grown) every veggie known to man at some point in my life. Kale is a  different type of green.  You cannot just throw it into a salad bowl, chop some other veggies to accompany it, and have an edible meal.  That just does not happen with kale.  However, kale is not hard.  It just needs a little extra care.  It needs a massage. Yep, kale needs to be touched


How I handle my kale: 
First, I rinse it.  Then, I de-spine it, meaning, I take out that thick backbone structure that it has holding up its leafy leaves.  Then I toss it into a bowl and ground some sea salt over it and add a splash of olive oil.  Then: massage.  I knead the kale.  This causes the dark, leafy green to shrink a little.  It takes in the flavors of the olive oil and becomes much more tender and palatable.  You can eat just like so, but I like to embellish it.  


My latest kale salad included the salt and the olive oil (and of course the massage), but then I tossed in some freshly steamed brown rice, a mix of quinoa, some shredded carrot, some pinto beans, a dash of lemon herb dressing, and a warmed corn tortilla.  I made enough for lunch tomorrow since kale holds up remarkably well, even when dressed (think opposite of soggy lettuce the morning after).  Go green. Go dark, leafy green!



3 comments:

  1. Hi Janelle,
    I love your post about Kale! It is my favorite vegetable and a super food. Besides, kale is so underrated, people are often thrown off by its 'intense' flavor that overlook all of its amazing nutritional properties and health benefits. I like my kale roasted with garlic, I also love to make kale chips, they're a great healthy snack. New York Naturals carries a good variety of kale chips that are raw and vegan. But its also great to have it raw (very filling this way) and the massage is a must for it to soften. I hope more people would discover kale and enjoy its benefits and yummy flavor!

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  2. I'm gonna try this recipe, thanks for posting it. I've been eating my kale either baked like a chip or sauteed with garlic, olive oil, and tons of red pepper flakes over penne.

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