Pesto is my last hope.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I post a picture and just a few words.
So, my last produce box blessed (??) me with the world's largest bunch of kale.
I've never bought kale or eaten it, but I've heard so many good things about it, I was game for trying.
I put some in a smoothie.
Not. Impressed.
We drank it, but there was no pleasure in the drinking.
(Spinach in smoothies? Yes. Swiss chard in smoothies? Yes. Kale? Uh-uh. It tasted like salad in a cup, despite all the fruit I put in.)
Then I tried making kale chips.
Cookbooks and blogs enthusiastically hail kale chips as "addictive", so I thought these would be good. But even with the oil and salt and the crisping from the oven's heat, we felt they tasted like...kale.
I still have a discouraging amount of kale left to get through, and my last idea is to use it in pesto.
Oh, kale. Please be tasty in pesto.
(I know some of you will wonder why in the world I'm not cooking the greens I've been getting. That's just because we kind of loathe cooked greens around here.)
Have you considered using it as you might spinach in meatballs, or in a part veggie lasagna? Chopped very finely in your food processor and mixed with ricotta & mozzarella, your stuffed shells would be colorful. Also, soup is an option. Yes, it is summer and soup is the last thing anyone wants, but freezing it to use in soup in the fall would prevent a total loss. Italian Wedding Soup uses kale - sorry, no suggestions for a web recipe!- and on the site - BakedBree.com , search for Kale salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes. That salad is wonderful! I'll also rip the kale into salad size pieces, sprinkle some salt, a drizzle of olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice over all of it, then massage it with my hands to work the seasonings into the leaves as well as break them down a tad. I'm the only kale eater here, but I have snuck (sneaked?) it in to soups & salads with no one the wiser.
agree!!!
I use kale in knockoff panera lemon orzo soup and I love it! I've also heard that massaging the kale while rinsing it will change the flavor. I haven't tried doing that since I love kale just as it comes out of the ground.
Oh, I didn't realize a massage would change the flavor. I thought it would just make it softer. I'll have to try that now!
Cook's Illustrated has a video of how to massage kale. Good for laughs if nothing else.
Me, I use kale in bean soups. Beans, smoked pork product (bacon, sausage, hocks, ham,...), chopped kale, etc. If you like kale leave the pieces large, if not chop them small. Can be frozen till winter, when bean soup makes sense and when the memories of kale smoothies have faded.
Great ideas, Theresa, thanks for sharing! I am defiantly going to try some of them.
As far as your dilemma, Kristen, raw kale is an acquired taste in my opinion. If given a choice of what has better nutritional factors I would go with dandelions over kale any day. I loved dandelion pesto recipe I got from FoodBabe.com. It was wonderful on pizza as well as everything else I tried it on. Perhaps using the kale and the recipe from that site would make the kale more appeasing to you and your family.
Kale is fantastic! You can use it as a garnish or to decorate a salad bar. It's not fit for human consumption but the curly leaves are nice for decor.
Ha!
I agree 100%. I have not yet found a way to make kale edible.
LOL, we're growing kale in our garden so have a similar problem! I put some in curry last night and the rich curry flavor pretty much overwhelmed the kale taste. But the kale added a beautiful green, great texture, and lots of nutrition anyway! 🙂
This is why I'm afraid to sign up for produce co-ops, the risk of getting a veggie that does not make me happy is too great....even though there aren't many veggies that I don't enjoy.
Don't let that scare you! I was afraid of that the first time I joined a CSA, too. But you know what happened? Since I'd already PAID for the veggies, once I received them and brought them home, I had to find a way to eat them so I didn't waste the food/money. So we found all kinds of stuff we didn't know we liked, and the stuff we didn't care for, well, we just found ways that we could eat them. Except edemame, no one likes those and I don't think we ever will. lol
We have generally found that if there are veggies we don't care for, eggs, cheese, and/or ranch dressing usually do the trick. 😉
Do you have friends or neighbors with pet rabbits? My bunnies always went crazy for kale! Perhaps this would be a slightly better last-ditch use than straight into the compost?! Good luck!
Kristen,
The trick I've found to kale smoothies is this: it needs orange juice! The acid in the OJ cuts the bitter flavor of the kale. I also like shredded carrots in mine.
But, despite all that, I have a blender that can't handle making kale smoothies. I end up spooning the smoothie out of my cup. Can your Vitamix actually make it smooth and drinkable?
Oh! I'll give that a try. I was also wondering if pineapple would help.
Pineapple does help as well. Also, don't include the thick stalk. Nothing makes that taste good. We also like kale ceasar salads.
Yes! I did have the sense to cut the stalk out, at least.
THANK YOU! So glad we're not the only ones who don't like them in smoothies or the chips. 🙂
Try it in an uncooked salad! Shred a big bunch of kale (no stems), 1 lb of Brussels sprouts shredded, a shallot. Add 1 cup toasted pine nuts. The dressing is key because it marinates & softens the tough kale & Brussels sprouts. Whisk Lemon juice & rind, Evoo, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper. We love it! I have made this for dinner parties & everyone wants the recipe!
I don't like kale in smoothies but do like kale chips. There's a bagged kale salad at Costco and another one at Publix, and both are awesome, in my opinion. We rarely buy bagged salad (maybe 5 times ever), but were served the costco one and loved it so we tried the Publix one. Anyway, point is, it's great in salad. Both used a sort of sweet dressing. One had chopped raw Brussels sprouts in it--great texture--who knew? One had almonds and the other had sunflower seeds (if I remember correctly). You may wish to try making a variation of it.
As for cooked greens, I like kale combined with other greens. I bought a bag of frozen mixed greens at while foods and loved it. I like them barely cooked, with sea salt. The other greens in the bag were mustards and collards, I believe. So, maybe steam them lightly with another leafy green veggie?
Hey, that reminds me. For me, the thing that *made* the kale chips, was sea salt. That what you used? If not, give them another go?
And I forgot to mention. We bought some fresh cashew kale pesto at whole foods, and enjoyed it. Don't expect it to taste like basil pesto, obviously. And I preferred it as a pizza sauce over a pasta sauce.
(Over as a pasta sauce, I mean. In other words, better on pizza than on pasta). All the besto for your pesto! 😉
I'm with you on kale...have tried it multiple ways and cannot make myself like it. I'll stick with spinach. Let us know if the pesto works.
Wow, imagine kale tasting like kale! LOL
I've never had kale, actually. Or if I have, I didn't know about it. 🙂 Hope the pesto doesn't taste like kale! Too bad you don't have chickens, I've heard they like kale!
Well, I was hoping it would be transformed into something more delicious! Ha.
I have the best way to use up your kale! I am not a huge fan either, however, I LOVE the zuppa toscana at Olive Garden, so I've begun making my own. I used this recipe:
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/olive-gardens-zuppa-toscana-soup-recipe/
It is so good. I used the Turkey Italian Sausage to lighten the calories a little, but it is the BEST soup. I know it's summer and probably not the optimum soup weather, but you could probably freeze the kale and save it for fall (or just eat soup, I eat it year round). Happy Kale eating!!
Couldn't agree more! We don't like cooked greens in our house either but kale in Zappa Toscana is pretty amazing. I would make this soup and freeze it for a chilly day.
I immediately thought of this soup as well. We make it quite often in our house, and I highly recommend it. And, we don't really like the taste of kale either, but you don't really notice it in the soup.
I agree with the Zuppa Toscana. My kids don't like any greens, and they love this soup. I started growing kale just to use in it. I used to dehydrate the extra kale to save for soup later, and that worked well.
Another vote for zuppa toscana! I am not a greens person at all but love the kale in this soup.
Another vote for this soup! Yum! Although I usually leave the kale out when I make it (or use spinach instead) b/c no one here likes it. Maybe I'm a weirdo but I LOVE soup any time of the year.
I'm a fan of putting kale in chicken and dumplings, or some kind of soup (as well as smoothies. I don't notice the nasty taste you're speaking of). But putting it in soup and chicken and dumplings is delicious.
We don't much care for cooked greens at home, either, but everyone loves kale caesar salad. Use a lot of lemon juice in the dressing and it tastes great! The salad stays crunchy much longer than romaine caesar, which I find tends to get sort of slimy if left too long.
cut it up (sans stems) small and put in salads Also fairly good in a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard.
We love kale in Chicken Apple Sausage, Kale and Rice soup:
http://www.momsplans.com/2012/08/chicken-apple-sausage-kale-and-rice-soup-oamc-dairy-free/
My kids aren't big kale fans, but they eat it up this way. 🙂
While my guys aren't fond of cooked greens in general, we have had HUGE success with lightly sautéed kale and garlic.
Cast iron skillet, a little butter, plenty of garlic, a couple of handfuls of kale, a sprinkling of sea salt. Toss until somewhat wilted but not squishy...
Even the 3 year old devoured it...
Yes. This! I'll also add a bit of red wine vinegar. Love. I love greens, so I have a bit of a hard understanding how anyone couldn't! Although I still accept you Kristen. 😉
Massaged kale salad! Massage a bunch with a tablespoon of olive oil and a bit of sea or kosher salt - it takes away the bitterness. Then eat it just like a regular salad. If you google "massaged kale" you can find more detail and recipes!
Yes, that's what I was going to say - also, a strong dressing (basalmic, tahini, or somesuch) goes really well with the kale. I combine it with napa cabbage, some cooked whole grain, like farro, fruit and cheese. Or croutons or breadcrumbs. It's hearty, but yummy!
I thought Kale chips were good when the oil had been infused with copious amounts of garlic first.
We eat a lot of kale as it grows better than anything else in our garden. But it is an acquired taste. Some of the ways we ate it in the early days that made it more palatable -- kale in cheese sauce, over baked potatoes, topped with bacon, or, kale, ham and cheese quiche, or, kale finely shredded in a tomato-vegetable soup.
And to be fair to kale, it's really a lot better in the fall, after the first frost.
How funny. I so love kale. I have a ton in the garden, and lately I've been making big kale salads, an idea I read about in The Art of Eating Well. Kale, boiled eggs, sometimes chickpeas, chicken, craisins. I dress it just with a simple vinaigrette (olive oil, balsamic, Dijon mustard). I can't get enough of this. The spicy vinaigrette works really well with the kale. Just another thought. Hope the pesto turned out nicely!
Maybe try cooking it? It's really good cooked with a tiny bit of water, onion, a hamhock or some kind of smoked neckbone, leg, ect., and seasoning. Maybe eating it like they do in the South would help? Of course, my family loves kale...
I forgot to mention - you do need to cut the ribs out first. Ribs=no good. The Zuppa Tuscana is also a great way to use it. Big hit here. Good luck to you!
Salad in a cup, hahaha! But if you think about it, nothing is totally wrong with this concept... Not everything needs to be sugar laden to appeal to our taste buds. A few tips:
1. Try getting lacinato kale vs, the regular one. Lacinato (also called 'dino' kale) is less fibrous, and tastes much milder. It produces a brighter green drink, too. I tried with Toscano, too-- meh. Lacinato rocks.
2.Since you already own Vitamix, I recall, no point telling you to pulverize the drink completely into a thick foam. This takes forever in my silly blender
3. The best pairing I found is kale+pineapple (fresh or canned)+fresh ginger+crushed ice. Also feels Cristmassy a bit to me
This is true, but it was a weird combination of slightly fruity, plus salad.
It reminded me a bit of when I put iceberg lettuce into a smoothie to use it up. It was just SO salad-y tasting.
This reminds me of the time a friend blended leftover salad thinking she's make her own V-8 juice. Her husband's comment when she served it? "The lettuce wilted."
I love kale so I can't imagine doing this but considering it IS green could you use it as currency? Anyone you know like kale more than you and have something to offer that you like more than kale?!
Maybe this will sound stupid but it doesn't look like anyone else has mentioned it, you are cutting the ribs out right? Those big ribs are inedible. We like to so a slow cooked bean, ham, kale concoction around here that is well received. Sort of a riff on Hoppin' Johns but w/ kale instead of rice and make it in the slow cooker so kale has a nice long time to taste like ham!
But kale pesto is good too. You can make pesto out of pretty much anything. We use beet greens a lot to make pesto & sometimes mix the beet & kale. Makes me feel virtuous to eat pizza w/ pesto on it make from greens!
Oh yes, I did take out the ribs!
Kale is delicious! You could try juicing it, it can be rather bitter, so I add a lot of cucumber to it. Be sure to remove the stems, as that can make it extra bitter. Also, I steam it (also with stems removed) with some garlic. Oh She Glows also has an amazing kale chip recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/03/12/6-tips-for-flawless-kale-chips-all-dressed-kale-chips-recipe/. Give it another try…it's not always great at first, but you have to find what tastes good for you! And the health benefits are just so worth it.
I juice my kale as well! But my family still can stand the taste no matter how much we try to hide it. So we do "shots" of kale juice and then chase it with a fruit juice. LOL we feel it's better to just get the. As ty taste out of the way because the health benefits are worth it!
This may be a nutty suggestion, but what about on sandwiches, like lettuce?
I've never made a green smoothie and have only a "regular" blender ($15 at Walmart), but I have some leftover spinach that's not really enough to sautee so I might give it a whirl.
I love kale. If you add some lemon juice it takes out the bitterness.
I made a masala style mushroom pasta before and added Kale to it, so delicious.
Kale chips are yummy when you put like a nacho seasoning on it.
Greetings,
Kale is GREAT! Here is an idea you might try: kale soup.
As a kid I grew up with this wonderful soup and now I organize a reading series called Kale Soup for the Soul (Portuguese-American writers reading stories about family, food and culture). Kale soup is a traditional Portuguese dish and iconic among our community. Here is a video of Emeril's version--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UU5SJjoYO0cKJmx37WGT8amg&v=8vuuRr9gAX8&feature=player_embedded
Millicent
https://www.facebook.com/KaleSoupfortheSoul
Ugh I hate kale. It is so healthy and good for you that I have tried all of the ways that I can get it into our bodies without seriously having to choke it down.
1. put the kale chips on top of pizza.
2. make kale pesto. Steam the kale a little bit first. My recipe is steamed kale, parmesan or romano cheese, olive oil and salt. No lemon. It freezes well. Mostly we eat it on egg sandwiches with cheese and sometimes tomato and/or avocado. I really do like it this way, and you can actually eat a ton of kale in a really small serving. 😉
Good luck!
Oh, I forgot, my kale pesto has plenty of garlic in it, too! I think that's what makes it edible, so don't forget the garlic!
Looks like there are already a lot of suggestions for cooking kale, but in our home we eat sauteed kale and broccoli as a side dish at least twice a week. We heat the pan with oil, add garlic and a bit of tamari sauce, then cook the broccoli and kale until the kale is wilted and the broccoli is still slightly crunchy. Also, steaming kale and then adding it to salad might be worth a try, so it's not so tough to chew. Kale is something that grows all year round where I live, so we have gotten used to eating it all year 🙂
My dad LOVES kale chips and for the life of me I cannot understand why. I did use some in Pesto a few weeks ago and it was great! We couldn't even taste the kale. I added scallions just to make sure it was disguised and the BF (who hates kale) proclaimed it the best pesto we'd made in a while. I also chop it up and add it to salads and he never seems to notice.
Any time I have veggies that we don't like the taste of but are healthy so I want to get them into our diet, I pulverize them in the blender and add them to my Spaghetti sauce, rice, meatloaf, soup, etc., and my kiddos never know they're there....except for rice...when they were younger I explained the little green specs as "seasoning" (really broccoli). Now that they're older they know that I hide veggies in the food but they can't taste them so they don't complain. I've tried to do several things with Kale...none of which I was impressed with...except for pulverizing/hiding. I found kale chips to only be tasty when drowned in salt, which negates the healthiness of them.
The only way I really like to eat kale is by massaging it for salads. It gets a lot better when it's prepared that way.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but you can try a bit of vinegar on your kale chips, too. It might give you more of the salt-and-vinegar chips type of feel?
Kale, sausage and cheese are a great combo so a white lasagna using them or just a casserole or pasta, etc. are good and I don't think taste too kale-y. Good luck!
I haven't read through all the comments so maybe someone already said this but, massage your kale! I wash it, dump it in a big bowl and add a bit of lemon juice. Then I treat it like it has sore shoulders and give it a good massage for a few minutes rubbing it between my fingers and thumb. The kale will soften up - if you keep at it, you will be able to add your nice softened kale to a salad or a quick stir fry. Still has a strong kale flavour but much more palatable.
Forgot to add that you also need a little bit of salt.
I chop it very fine and add it to almost any cooked dish. We get the nutrients and none of the taste. I've put it in meatloaf and a beef/broccoli casserole. I've also put it in spaghetti. Little bit of color and no altered flavors. =)
Steam the kale, cool it down and use it in your mandarin salad. I'd add some feta or goat cheese too.
We love kale here but the fav kale dish is copycat Olive Garden Zuppa tuscana
I'm a kale pesto fan and almost always keep a jar of of it in the fridge. In fact, I just made a batch of it last night!
Here's how I make it:
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/cheap-eats-kale-pesto/
You can do it! 😀
Cook it with Italian sausage, even if you don't liked cooked greens the wonderful salty, fatty sausage makes the kale taste awesome.
Same problem here. Try this: puree as much as you can - into a paste even. Then add to spaghetti sauce. Along with pureed onions & mushrooms. It's the only way I can get my kids to eat it (I'm not a fan either though). You just have to keep your kale to sauce ratio right. I do this by looking at the color. Don't let it get too green 🙂 I found that my kids love the flavor of onion and mushrooms together - just don't like the texture. Those condensed flavors (by chopping up super fine into a paste) sort of "hide" the strong flavor of the kale. You can puree it all, then freeze lumps in the freezer & add to sauce whenever you are making spaghetti or lasagna or whatever.
The 1st time I got kale in my basket from Bountiful Baskets I had to go on a search for recipes. Now we love it! We do love the kale chips & they are addictive to the folks in my house. We also use it in veggie soups. And this recipe is one that we use over and over : http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/06/panfried-kale/
I've never tried it in a smoothie because, honestly, none of us are ever going to drink anything that looks that nasty!
Massaging with salt and an acid breaks down some of the fibers for fresh kale salad. Add sliced nuts and dried fruit and couscous or quinoa and it makes a great salad.
When you make the kale chips - heat the pan for 5 minutes in a 450* oven so the kale gets a chance to crisp up. Toss with olive oil, salt and garlic (don't forget to massage!) and then cook for 5-7 minutes.
Good luck!
This is my new favorite salad for kale: . It says to use the flat-leaf variety, but it tastes just as good with curly kale. (This is where my excess of roasted butternut squash came from the time I froze it and put it in a smoothie).
I'm sorry kale chips didn't do it for you guys! I love their crispness straight out of the oven, but they definitely don't keep and are easy to burn. (Did you do them at a low temp, like 250?)
Kale pesto is great. I make mimne with almonds.
You should try Kale Lasagna Diavolo from Vegetarian Times. Wonderful recipe and try making it with herbed goat cheese instead of plain.
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/kale-lasagna-diavolo/
You know how it's said it can take up to 15 tries before a child likes a food? Well, maybe you just need to keep trying with the kale?!!! (I am going through this phase with my 2 year old right now so that's why I thought I would mention it!).
I agree with trying it in soup. I find my kids like it more when it's chopped finer versus in bigger pieces.
My great grandmother always swore by putting kale in the freezer for a bit (half an hour maybe?) to make it less bitter.
Also kale chips with sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds are quite tasty.
As are kale chips with parmesan, chili flakes and olive oil.
I agree! I can't find a way to enjoy kale. I've tried, and no such luck!
It's a little warm for this recipe right now, but my absolute favorite thing to do with kale is this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/ribollita-recipe.html. I never liked it before this, but this soup is to die for. There's also an awesome sausage, kale, and bean recipe in the America's Test Kitchen Quick Family cookbook (the binder one).
The only way I can eat kale is finely chopped in salads, because it tenderizes it and radically changes the taste. This salad was a game changer for me:
http://foodbabe.com/2013/05/08/melt-in-your-mouth-kale-salad/
It's a pain to pull out the food processor, so i use either salad chopper type scissors or any food shears would work, you just need to go at it for awhile to really soften it up. the volume totally shrinks too when you do it.
I know you feel leery about cooked greens, but kale may actually surprise you. It doesn't turn as slimy as some of the lighter greens. I love to carmelize some Vidalia onion in large skillet with a little butter and a smidgen of brown sugar, then add diced apple just until it starts to soften. Add the kale and saute just until softened--it should still have a lot of its own shape holding up. It has a nice sweet meets bitter/ soft meets crunchy thing going for it. And if I sprinkle almonds in it, sometimes we just eat it with cornbread for dinner. It really can be quite yummy!
Hi Kristen,
Sorry to hear the kale is giving you trouble! I know you mentioned that your family doesn't like cooked greens, but perhaps you haven't found the right recipe yet. My husband makes "sweet and spicy kale" by sautéing it in olive oil or butter then adding brown sugar and creole seasoning. Simple but so good! Try it. What have you got to lose? Good luck!
My family only likes kale sautéed with raisins. The sweetness of the raisins complements the taste of the kale. We cook it similar to this recipe, but we add more raisins:
http://littlebcooks.blogspot.com/2012/09/sauted-kale.html
I haven't read the other comments but kale is fantastic in a knock off version of Olive garden's zuppa toscana! It's a light creamy soup with potatoes and sausage! I wasn't a fan of kale chips or smoothies but in this soup, I love it!
Try kale apple salad! My husband and I love it, and everyone I've served it to has said they love it and want the recipe. I used this recipe and substituted 1/3-1/2 cup walnut pieces for onions (love onions, just don't like having them on my breath for two days after eating them... ; )
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30354-kale-apple-coleslaw-with-poppy-seed-dressing
It's a great little salad to have on hand, can be made ahead (I make it during my 10 month old's morning nap and stick in the fridge for dinner) and the kale gets more tender by the second day.
Maybe it's because I've just finished eating lasagna for lunch, but what about cooking it in a little crock pot lasagna? Let me tell you I have all kinds of veggies in mine, but honestly the veggies are a little hard to taste after the sauce. Included veggies are broccoli, spinach, and ok I was a very lazy co op -- frozen mixed veggies. And no I didn't blend them, although it's a good idea -- I'm just too lazy to wash 1 more thing.
I used kale successfully in the pesto on this sandwich a few days ago. It was the third time we've made it since we like it so much, although the garlic in it might be a little strong for kids? http://www.foodfanatic.com/2013/03/eggplant-sandwich-roasted-drizzled-with-kale-pesto/
We switched from kale to bok-choy in our smoothies and I have to admit, I don't know that I could go back to kale. Brown bananas and unsweetened cocoa powder are great for covering flavors (and brown bananas help sweeten the cocoa powder). Maybe those would be enough to cover the kale?
I also agree with some other people about calming the flavor with lemon juice and/or chopping it really finely. The finer you chop it, the more it mixes with other flavors so your dish doesn't taste so kaley. "Kale sprinkles" (ribs removed, really finely chopped) are easier on the taste buds, I think. And I've read that breaking down cruciferous veggies like kale by chewing, blending or chopping increases their health benefits because it causes them to produce ITC's (isothiocyanates).
Kale is a huge hoax. It tastes like compost, no matter what you do to it.
Also, I've heard you're supposed to massage kale. Who needs such a needy (knead-y)? veggie?
Haha! Well, at this point, I'd be inclined to agree with you, but I'm not willing to give up quiiite yet.
Just a suggestion for the next bunch of kale, if you "massage" it with lemon juice and a little olive oil, it becomes softer and less bitter. My green adverse husband now actually prefers it prepared this way to the usual spinach salad. It only takes a few extra minutes, but makes a big difference in the taste!
My favorite thing to do with kale is make Zuppa Toscana. There are lots of copycat recipes of this Olive Garden soup on the internet.
Kale is great in pesto (I'm also making it tonight with basil from the garden). It's also terrific sautéed with olive oil and garlic and you can add dried cherries or raisins for a sweet counter note. If you like Southern cooking, you can cook it in a pot like collard greens with water, onions, garlic, and a ham product of some kind (I would use a ham hock if you can find one in the super market) but really any ham or smoked product will impart good flavor. Unless your kale is old, it will probably cook down faster than collards.
Good luck,
Kamil
I freeze the kale we get in our CSA box, and use it in minestrone soup in the fall and winter. The recipe I use is from Weight Watchers, even though we don't follow that program. It's delicious! I've tried making kale chips, too, and didn't like them. I have friends who rave about them, though I'm not sure why.
I forgot my best way to use leftover kale!!!!!
I dried it in my oven and then crushed it into powder! Then you can sprinkle it in/on virtually anything without noticing it's there. I've tossed it into sauted veggies, soups, casseroles, etc. without anyone noticing that there was a change to the recipe. Especially replaces dried parsley well.
kale is good in soup. an easy way to get rid of it and eat healthy.
I buy baby kale instead, it's more like spinach that way. My 4 year old daughter loves baby kale in salad, just like any other leaf salad green. I know it's a CSA so you have to use what you get. But in the interest of trying it, don't discount it all together until you've tried baby kale.
Hope that helps.
I may be the odd one out, but I love kale!!! The best recipe is how the Dutch make it: boil potatoes, onions and kale together until the potatoes are cooked. Drain but keep the water. Mash everything together, and make them like you would make good mashed potatoes, adding a little milk or cream or sour cream, and parmesan cheese. Delicious as a side with sausages.
Garlic powder helped my kale chips. Not enough to be worth repeating but since you already have the kale...
This made me laugh a lot. Thank you for sharing it. I agree kale chips = not repeatable.
Don't give up!! Caldo verde! It's a traditional soup out of the Portuguese-American community on Cape Cod and the south shore of Massachusetts, according to Clifford Wright, whose recipe I use (from Best Soups in the World). It's one of our absolute faves, and with an extra dose of frugality, too, because it uses half chicken stock and half water. (I've tried it with all c-broth, because some recipes do it that way, and it's really not as good.) Not the best time of year for hot soup, I suppose, but it's not too bad yet -- in New England, anyway -- and the soup freezes very well.
I put greens we don't love (but are healthy and soooo cheap) in potato soup. I also put kielbasa and hard boiled eggs and onions in that soup so the taste of the kale disappears completely. Additionally, it gives what is otherwise a bland looking meal some color. My kids don't care for kale but they eat it up in potato soup.
The meatball idea is also great. Tomato sauce is a great cover for unloved foods.
Cut thin, sauteed, then added to prepared soups to up the nutrition (I did that with spinach and potato soup today - not quite kale but not too far off). As for the chips, I like them, but the key for me is a *lot* of oil and salt. I tell myself the kale is saintly enough to atone for any other nutritional sins...and load it on.
I make a salad that my family loves. Cut the kale into very thin ribbons. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper (I don't measure anything, just add stuff until I like the taste). Add shredded Parmesan and raisins. Then let it sit for a while so that the dressing will soften the kale a little. Even my 9-year old gobbles this right up.
My family enjoyed this recipe. It's basically like a fancy, super-healthy cole slaw recipe : )
http://www.justataste.com/2014/01/shredded-kale-brussels-sprout-salad-lemon-dressing-recipe/
I am sitting here laughing as I am an "Ex-Kale Chip Maker". I read so many recipes where people commented that their husband and children *preferred* kale chips to popcorn. I was so excited to make them. I tried several times and no matter what I did they were mostly too chewy in the middle. Occasionally the edges got crisp, well really they got burnt. I tried, I really tried, but Kale Chips are just not gonna happen in my kitchen.
Yeah. No one here thought they were better than popcorn, sadly.
I only think they're better than popcorn because I'm allergic to corn. Kale doesn't make me incredibly ill, therefore kale chips are better than popcorn.
My family likes both, and definitely likes popcorn more.
I second and triple the suggestion for Zuppa Toscana as a way to use up Kale. The recipe I use is actually the first review of a Food.com recipe. Link is: http://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298/review
Review is by Dans La Lune. Yummy!
Try a Swedish version of kale 😉 that we eat for christmas (not all of us though). Boil kale in vegetable broth for as long as needed (usually about 20 min). Pick it up and fry it in butter (just quickly, to add some extra taste). Add cream (about 1 part cream with about 40% fat in it) per 10 parts of kale (weighed prior to cooking). Add salt and peppar according to taste.
Oh, and let the kale and the cream boil together for about 5 min. If you want to, you can also add a pinch of sugar.
I do a kale/spinach combo in my smoothies, and have found it cuts down on the powerful taste of kale. I agree orange juice and almond milk help make the kale blend better.
We use it as a salad green mixed with spinach an lettuce,also we freeze it to add to Italian soups. We're going to try it in stuffing for meat and peppers next.
This is really good, but you do need to let it sit for a while.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/raw_kale_salad_with_balsamic_pine_nuts_and_parmesan/
Check out Forty Shades of Kale from the library.... A lot of interesting ideas from breakfast to dessert. I haven't tried any yet, myself. Still waiting on the kale avalanche from my CSA!
Try this: http://nourishedkitchen.com/caldo-verde/
Also, kale chips are better with more flavoring (we like them - even David likes them - I grow kale). I have a popcorn seasoning blend (nutritional yeast, garlic, onion, salt, etc.) that works well. Or something like this: http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2013/10/baked-kale-chips-recipe.html
Try massaging the kale with a little lemon, olive oil, and sea salt.
Whole Foods has a guacamole that they put kale in - you can't taste it and it's DELISH! So maybe you need to make some guacamole? 🙂
Kale chips secret. Garlic powder, celery salt, olive oil and smoke paprika. Cook the until crisp and they will no longer be kale like in flavour. Careful on the celery salt, it is powerful. Don't shy away on the other seasonings. As for in a shake, it has a bit of a stronger flavour but can be tames down by using a banana, orange juice as someone else said and some vanilla. Not great with melons on a shake though. Berries, mango, banana and pineapple are all great fruit options to disguise it stronger flavours.
It took me a long time to make peace with kale bit I finally did. One of my favorite ways to have it is braised (so still crispy sort of) in butter or broth with onion, then add walnuts, butternut squash and dried cranberries. It's pretty good.
Don't give up hope! Try it finely sliced, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, diced avocado, and sunflower seeds. My favorite salad!
Kristen, you will likely receive more kale with your CSA, this summer, so I'll pass this on to you. Last night for dinner, we had spaghetti and meatballs. I very finely chopped/minced 3 large leaves of kale and added it to the meat mixture (not quite 1 lb of ground beef). Absolutely, no one could taste it. It just looked like parsley in the meatballs. I didn't say anything to my family, as they were enjoying the meatballs so much. Sometimes, less information is better . . .
Wow, who woulda thunk there'd be so many, many things to say about kale ....
I know, right? This is a very talkative group when it comes to kale!
I make a sweet potato hash and toss in some kale.
I like kale best with some acid, like vinegar or lemon juice. It make a good salad if you shred it and let it marinate in vinaigrette for a couple hours. The acid helps break down some of the tougher fibers and makes the kale softer. And I know you said that you don't like cooked greens and I usually don't either, but I've been braising them with bacon, garlic, lemon, and chicken broth, and I have to tell you it's my new favorite way to eat both kale and collard greens. It's seriously delicious.
Jessi, that bacon-garlic-lemon-chicken broth idea sounds amazing!! I will have to try it!
Google 'kale apple salad.' I make a salad with kale, apple, raisins and a dressing that includes a bit of vinegar, very small amount of oil and Dijon mustard. But.....you need to massage the kale for a few minutes with lemon juice. This is a very important step because it takes away the bitterness.
I know I'm late and you've already gotten TONS of suggestions, but just wanted to throw out there that I love it on pizza and also in this Budget Bytes recipe: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/sausage-kale-skillet/ We eat it over pasta and it's SO easy, cheap, and delicious. Not sure if that would be too cooked-greens-ish but might be worth a try! 🙂
Oh yeah, and I use white beans instead of chickpeas. That just sounded kinda weird to me!