Hippy-dippy Kale recipes!

I love kale. I know that puts me squarely in the 1% that my salary never will*. But it's awesome. Basically, the food makes me feel good when I eat it, and is super-duper-healthy, and relatively inexpensive, and tastes good when you prepare it well. Lots of people complain that kale and other "cooking greens" are too bitter; I agree that there is a bitterness to kale, but it is tempered by cooking it or adding something sweet to the recipe. More importantly, though, bitter flavors are interesting: it is my very humble opinion that not all foods should be light on the palate. Spicy, sour, bitter, sharp tastes are fun, and I, for one, don't like all my food to taste like white flour with butter and sugar (though some of my food tasting like that is much desired: mmmm pastries!).

Here are my current favorite three ways to prepare kale as the center of a veggie dish (I also add it julienned to lots of stews/lentils/beans/sauces):

1. Kale with Shallots


This is a modification of a recipe I found here:

http://www.wholeliving.com/130333/delicata-squash-salad-kale-and-cranberry-beans?center=136760&gallery=136045&slide=131141


Start by cutting up a bunch kale, either in bite-sized pieces or julienned. Sauté some diced shallots in a little bit of olive oil. When the shallots are transparent, add some garlic for a minute or two. Add 4-6 tablespoons of some combination of basalmic vinegar and red wine vinegar (I love basalmic, so I use more of that), and a couple tablespoons of honey. Heat the dressing in the pan for a minute or two, stirring to keep it from burning to the pan. Take the kale, add it to the pan, mix it around so it's covered with the dressing, and put a lid or a plate (if you don't have a lid) over the pan for a couple of minutes to cook the kale. Every couple of minutes, I'd recommend stirring this. Depending upon how well-cooked you like the kale, somewhere between 4 and 10 minutes of steaming should suffice. Serve hot (better) or cold (still pretty good).

2. Kale with cranberries and quinoa

This one is easy. Cook up some quinoa (half a cup to a cup dry), steam (put some water in a pot with the kale, turn on the stove, and cover the pot) some julienned kale for 5-10 minutes, and chop up a few handfulls of dried cranberries. Strain the kale. Mix all of the above in a bowl for a tasty salad.

3. Kale with spicy Thai peanut sauce

This is my take on the classic Thai peanut sauce over wilted spinach. It is also simple, so easy to do, say, when you get home from a hard workout and you want to beat up anyone who comes between your Hangry self and food. First, cut up your kale and steam it (I like bite-sized pieces for this recipe). Take a saucepan and add:

1 can of light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons red curry paste
     or combination of ground spicy pepper, such as cayenne or red chili powder, to taste (not 4 Tbs)
Sugar, to taste (I start with 1/4 cup and add as appropriate)


Cook the mixture on medium, stirring regularly, until it simmers, for a few minutes (it'll thicken a bunch in a short period of time), and take it off the heat. Let it cool somewhat before pouring it over the strained kale. Very good with rice or quinoa and protein source of your choice.


How about you guys? What do you like to do with kale?

* I recognize that I could drop out of grad school and make some money. Sorry for offending anyone with this factually inaccurate statement.