Kale 3 Ways

Last Monday was rainy and dreary.  I packed up the three kids (two mine, one nannied) and we headed on a great outing...to B.J.'s!  It is odd, but I am an impulse buyer at grocery stores, even B.J.'s!  That particular day my impulse purchase was Kale!  A one-pound bag of chopped fresh kale for only $1.99.  Not a bad impulse buy!  I needed a green that night to go with our supper, and kale has been on my too-try list for months.  

A pound of kale goes a long way with only 3 eating it.  It took us one week and three recipes, but we ate it all!  Here are those three ways:

Kale Chips

I include this picture as proof that my 3 year old ate kale.  This first picture, no surprise, was her favorite (but she ate it all 3 ways!).  Random side note:  you can also see one of my tricks when I serve her casseroles; I separate the big chunks of vegetables from the rice so that it looks like rice with a side of vegetables.

Toss kale with a little olive oil and salt.  Spread on cookie sheet in a single layer (this was reinforced over and over again in the recipes I studied).  Bake at 250 - 275 for 20-25 minutes.  Eat up!  Truly soooo yummy!

Add to Soup

Because Kale is a pretty rigid green, it holds up well to being added to soups.  

I added a little bit of the kale to the soup; let it simmer with the other vegetables and then pureed as normal.

Sweet and Savory Kale

This was really yummy!!  The end product is similar to collard greens.  (Confession:  this picture is of the thumbs down preparation.  I tried the recipe that will follow but added apples...not a good idea.  Too sweet!    The recipe included is yummy!  I just wanted to included how the kale looks at the beginning and what the end product looks like.)

- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
- kale (about 6 oz) I just used as much that filled my pot
- "splash" of craisins
- salt and pepper to taste

In pot, add stock, onion, and garlic.  Heat over medium heat, allowing onions to soften, about 5 minutes.  Stir in Dijon mustard and cider vinegar.  Add kale and then splash with craisins!  Cover with lid.  (I periodically stirred; I don't know if that was necessary or would be better to just let cook down on its own.)  

Do you like kale?  What is your favorite way to enjoy it?  This was a new green to me, but it will definitely be added to the rotation!