The Many Shades of Kale

Kale is a favorite green for health foodies and farmers alike because not only is it nutrient dense, but it's also super hardy so we can easily grow this throughout the year! I laugh that I have kale for just about every meal because it's so versatile, I'll just choose a different color of kale each time. Below is a recipe for an excellent massaged kale salad. I know, massaged kale? What is that? Well by massaging kale with salt you can break down the fibers into a more pleasing texture and tame some of the bitterness so it can be eaten raw. Delicious! And yet another way to incorporate this delicious green into your diet.

1 bunch kale

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 apple

2 medjool dates

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

pepper

Wash the kale and spin or pat dry. Remove the stems and discard. Chop the kale into thin strips and put in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and massage with your hands for 1-2 minutes, just like kneading bread.

Wash the apple and chop it into thin slices. Remove the seeds from the dates and cut into bit size morsels.

Using a paper towel squeeze any excess liquid out of kale and transfer to a salad bowl, toss with apple and dates, drizzle with oil and vinegar and season with pepper. Taste and season to your liking.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt to taste

optional seasonings:
lemon pepper
seasoned salts
finely ground Italian herb blends
nutritional yeast

Preheat the oven to 300F

Wash the kale and dry it well. Remove the center stem from the kale leaves and cut each half leaf into about 3 pieces. Place the pieces in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. With your fingers, massage the oil into all the little nooks and crannies of the kale.

Spread out the cut pieces onto baking pans in a single layer (this helps make them crispy). Roast the kale for 12 to 20 minutes, depending on how hearty the kale is, or until it starts to gently brown at the edges and becomes crisp. Don't overcook. Sprinkle with sea salt and eat sooner rather than later.

Braised Kale with Pink Beans and Ham

from Robin Miller, FoodNetwork.com

2 TSP olive oil

1 cup diced lean baked ham

1 lb kale, chopped

1 15oz can pink beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chicken broth

salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add ham and cook 2 minutes, until golden brown. Add kale, beans and broth, cover and steam 5 minutes, until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Greens with Potatoes

4 yellow potatoes (about 1 lb) scrubbed

1-2 lbs greens, trimmed and coarsley chopped

2 TBSP olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

1/2 TSP red pepper flakes (a couple shakes)

2 tomatoes (if in season), peeled and diced

1. Cover potatoes with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and coarsley chop.

2. Simmer the greens in a large skillet until tender, then drain.

3. Return the skilleet to the stove, add oil and heat with garlic and red pepper flakes. When you can smell the garlic, add the greens, potatoes, and tomatoes (if using). Cook over medium heat, breaking up the potatoes with a fork and mashing them into greens to make a kind of hash. Taste for salt and serve with olive oil drizzeled over the top.

Ginger kale

1 large bunch kale, stems removed, leaves cut into strips

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP butter

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 TBSP minced fresh ginger

juice of 1 lime

freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Add sliced, washed kale and boil 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly wilted. Drain in a colander. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil and butter, add garlic, onion and ginger and saute until onion is softened, Add kale, tossing till conbined. Cover and cook over low heat until kale is just tender. Sprinkle with lime juice and toss. Grind fresh pepper over kale and serve.

Cheese Totellini Soup with Cannellini, Kielbasa and Kale

2 TBSP olive oil

12 oz fully cooked smoked kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 cup fresh fennel bulb (optional)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 TSP chopped fresh thyme

1/2 TSO dried crushed red pepper

10 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

4 cups kale

1 15oz canned cannelloni, rinsed and drained

1 9oz package cheese totellini

1 cup grated Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy, large pot over medium-high heat. Add next 6 ingredients and saute until vegetables are soft and kielbasa is brown, about 12 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in kale and cannelloni. Reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. (Can be made the day ahead. Cool slightly; cover a refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before continuing) Add totellini to soup. Simmer until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite, about 5 minutes.

A Versatile Recipe for the Hearty Greens You Dont Know What to Do With

from The Farm to Table Cookbook by Ivy Manning

1 bunch hearty greens
Toasted sesame oil
Good quality soy sauce
toasted seseame seeds

1. Tear the leaves from their tough ribs and stems. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the leaves, and boil until tender, 1-3 minutes depending on the type of greens.
2. Drain the greens in a colander and push them to remove as much liquid as possible.
3. Roughly chop the cooked greens and place them on a serving plate. Sprinkle lightly with sesame oil and soy sauce; toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Braised Lacinato Kale

From The Farm to Table Cookbook by Ivy Manning

2 bunches lacinato kale
1 slice thick-cut bacon, roughly chopped
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
3 TBSP chicken stock
1 generous pinch sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Rinse the kale and tear the leaves from the touch rib that runs up the center of each leaf. Tear the leaves into 2 inch pieces and place in colander.
2. Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp; with a slotted spoon, transfer in to a small bowl, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
3. Put the leaves with water still clinging to them in the pan, stir with tongs to wilt them. Add the vinegar, stock, and sugar. cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle the bacon over the top, and serve.

Kale and Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta

1 1/4 lbs kale, stemmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cups whole milk
3 1/2 cups water
2 cups polenta
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper

4 oz. pancetta (Italian bacon) or bacon, coarsely chopped
4 oz. mushrooms (such as crimini, oyster, and stemmed shitake), sliced
4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1 stalk celery
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp grated lemon peel

Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.

Bring milk, water, polenta, salt, and pepper to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels. Add mushrooms, onions and 2 tbsp olive oil to drippings in skillet. Saute until mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in kale, celery and pancetta. add garlic and broth; simmer until broth is slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme, lemon peel, an d 2 tbsp oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk butter and Parmesan into polenta and divide among plates. Top with kale mixture.

Modified from a recipe found in Bon appetit Feb 2006 via epicurious.com

4tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sauted Kale with Kohlrabi

1 1/4 lb peeled kohlrabi bulbs
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 lbs (2 bunches) kale, stems and rins removed
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup roasted pistachios, finely chopped

Slice kohlrabi very thinly. Whisk together in large bowl lime zest and juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper each. Toss kohlrabi with dressing.

Finely chop kale. Heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Saute garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. add kale by the handful, turning and stirring with tongs and adding more kale as the volume reduced in the skillet. When all the kale is wilted, saute with 1/2 tsp salt until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Toss with kohlrabi and dressing and serve.

Pasta Slaw

from Lickety-Split Meals by Zonya



Put a medium-size pot of water on to boil.

place in a large serving bowl:

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup kale , or other green, remove center rib and slice thin



Add to boiling water:

2 oz dry spaghetti pasta

Add to cabbage and carrots:

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion or 4 green onions, thnly sliced and chopped



Mix together in a small bowl:

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano (use more of that fresh oregano)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

dash of pepper to taste



Drain pasta: add to vegetables while still hot. Toss altogether with dressing. Serve warm or chilled

Greens Sauteed with Garlic, Raisins and Pine Nuts

This is our favorite way to eat braising greens or any mixture of greens that we have on hand. I keep raisins and pine nuts on hand so I can make this often. This is supposed to serve 4 or 6 but 3 at our house can eat it all.

About 1 1/2 pounds mixed greens (such as mustard, kale, collard, leaves only) shredded, washed and drained
1/2 cup packed raisins
3 tbsp olive oil
7 cloves garlic, minced (or whatever you desire)
1/2 cup pinenuts, lightly toasted
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1. Bring 1/2 water to boil in a large soup pt or saute pan over medium-high heat. Gradually add the greens, stirring them down with each addition. When all the greens have been added and are well wilted, add the raisins, partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary, until greens are very tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the oil & garlic ina skillet and cook over medium heat until the garlic is soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts, remove from heat and set aside.
3. When the greens are cooked, pour off any liquid remaining in the pot without draining thoroughly so the greens remain moist. Stir in the vinegar and garlic oil.

Asian Cabbage Salad

From Bon Appetit via epicurious.com

1 hd green cabbage (about .75 pounds very thinly sliced or 10-12 cups)
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp sesame oil

Place cabbage in a very large bowl. Add vinegar, cilantro and and oil. Toss. Season with salt and pepper. Cover: chill for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours, tossing often.

Terry's note: We added sliced spinach, black kale would be good too, red pepper, snap peas and grated carrots for a very colorful salad.

Greens with Hot garlic dressing

1/3 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves minced (or 5-6 spring garlic bulbs!)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 lb mixed tender greens (rapini plus chards, kales, mustard etc.)

Heat oil and garlic in a small saucepan over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and immediately pour over greens. Season with salt and pepper. Serve right away.

Kale and Spinach with Hazelnuts

1/2 cup hazelnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
4 large cloves garlic, minced
10 cups mixed thinly shredded kale and spinach leaves, washed and drained but not dried
salt and pepper to taste

1. Toast the hazelnuts in an ungreased skillet over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the nuts are darkened in spots, 5-7 minutes. Cool enough to handle, coarsly chop and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan or wok. Stir in the onion and garlic and saute over medium head until transluscent, about 5 minutes. Add the greens in batches, stirring them down after each addition, until all are in the pan. Stir-fry until tender, 8-12 minutes, depending on the age of the greens.

Sausage, Greens and Semolina Pizza

2 leeks
3 cloves garlic
2 bunches greens (mustard, chard, kales)
4 sausages (sweet Italian, spicy or hot)
6 to 7 tbsp olive oil
Semolina linguine for 4
salt and pepper
Pitted black olives
Crushed red pepper flakes
Parmesan

Wash and thinly slice the leels, peel and chop the garlic. Remove any large stems from the greens, cut the leaves crosswise into a chiffonade, and wash and dry them. Slice the sausages. Cook the leeks, garlic and sausage in about 5 tablespoons olive oil for 10 minutes or so. Add the greens and continue cooking for 5 minutes or more, until they are soft and wilted. The addition of a little water or stock wil lhelp to steam them. Moisten the misture with another tablespoon or two of olive oil. Cook the pasta and add it to the pan. Toss all together and taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with a generous spinkling of pitted black olives and a litttle crushed red pepper if you like it spicy. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese at the table.

Sausage and Bean Soup

Another favorite recipe found at epicurious.com

1 tbsp olive oil
6 oz kielbasa of linguica sausage, cut into thin rounds
1 medium onion, chopped
2 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 large bunch kale, stems cut away, leaves thinly sliced
1 15oz can small white beans, drained
3/4 cup dry white wine

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage and onion; saute until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add broth and kale, bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Add beans and wine. Cook until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 2 servings, easily doubled.

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

from Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Cookbook

1 cup finely chopped onions
2/3 cup finely chopped leeks
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups coarsely chopped potatoes
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tbsp white wine
1/2 tsp dried dill
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp minced scallions
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh basil
1/2 cup evaporated skimmed milk
4 cups loosely packed shredded kale
salt and ground pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)

1. In a 3 or 4 quart covered soup pot, saute onions, leeks, and salt in the oil on very low heat for about 7 minutes until tender. Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes, fennel, celery, wine and dill. Simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, until potatoes are tender.
2. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the mustard, scallions, basil and evaporated skimmed milk.
3. In a seperate pot, gently boil the kale in just enough water to cover, When the kale is just tender, drain it and stir into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice, if desired. Carefully reheat the soup until it is very hot but not boiling.