You probably walk by it in the supermarket, never giving it a thought. But from now on, after reading my blog, it will call out to you.… buy me…. buy me. It is kale, one of the most nutritious, yet underrated and underused vegetables on earth.
Baked Kale Chips
Kale is in the cruciferous or cabbage family, but unlike its cousins in the Brassica family—like broccoli or cauliflower—the central leaves do not grow into a head. Instead, we eat all of the leaves which may be curly (as in the photo) or they may be flat—known as Tuscan, Lacinato or dinosaur kale. Buy whatever you can find in the produce section of your store or at the farmer’s market; the preparation and nutrition doesn’t differ that much.
Kale was in my CSA (Community-Supported-Agriculture) delivery this week and, although it may not win any beauty contests, it has tremendous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to a host of vitamins and minerals, it also contains sulforaphane, which has anti-cancer benefits.
Dr. Andrew Weil, whose newsletter I subscribe to, says that dark greens reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, and protect the immune system. He cautions that while it may be tempting to try them raw, many vegetables such as chard, spinach, collards and mustard greens are actually better for you after they’ve been cooked.
What to Do with Kale?
People around the world eat kale in different ways: steamed, sautéed, in soups and stews, and mixed into other vegetables such as mashed potatoes in the Irish dish, colcannon. But one of the more popular ways to eat it is to bake it into chips. The leaves are cut into large bite-size pieces, coated with oil, and baked in the oven to a crispy delight. Some people toss the pieces with salt, or Parmesan, or nutritional yeast, or vinegar, or one of their favorite spices such as cumin.
Snacks. Here is the basic recipe for Baked Kale Chips, which comes from my new book, 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes (125 GFVR); experiment and make it your own.
Baked Kale Chips
Even when baked, kale won’t win any beauty contests! Still, once you pop these little crisps into your mouth you won’t care about their looks. The strong flavor we associate with kale lessens when baked, so they taste more like vegetable chips than cabbage.
4 cups kale (1 bunch), stems removed, torn into chip-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
[1] Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet (not nonstick) with parchment paper.
[2] Wash the kale and trim the stems from each piece. Spin it dry in a salad spinner and blot any remaining moisture with paper towels.
[3] In a large bowl, toss the kale with olive oil until thoroughly coated. For curly kale, you may need to massage the pieces with your hands to work the oil into the crevices. Toss with the salt. Spread it in a single layer in on the baking sheet.
[4] Bake until the chips are crispy, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Cool the pan on a wire rack until the chips are cool. Serve immediately.
Salads. If this recipe intrigues you and you want more, try the Kale Salad (also from 125 GFVR). It’s fresh, shredded kale tossed in a peanut sauce. After I wrote the book, I noticed that a local restaurant called Tarbell’s served a similar salad. Mark Tarbell is an award-winning, James Beard-nominated chef who also has competed against celebrity chefs on the Food Network. So, if he thinks kale salad is a good thing, then so do we!!
Smoothies. Of course, I also steam kale or toss it into soups, but a favorite way to sneak it into your family’s food is in breakfast smoothies. In fact, when I get my shipment each week I wash the whole head, break it into small pieces, line a plastic bag with a paper towel and store it in the bag, loosely closed to let out excess moisture. It keeps for an entire week and I just reach in each morning for a handful to add to my smoothie. (If you want to make kale’s nutrients even more absorbable, lightly steam the leaves in the microwave before tossing them into the smoothie.)
A Final Thought–How to Eat More Vegetables
We all have good intentions, but life is busy and sometimes it is hard to actually get more vegetables into our diet. If you’re struggling, take a tip from the sports world with visualization (like visualizing your golf ball soaring down the middle of the fairway or a perfectly placed tennis shot).
Visualize yourself eating a vegetable dish, perhaps something simple like raw carrots or a more involved dish such as roasted asparagus or steamed broccoli. To make it even more likely, plan a week’s menu around your chosen vegetables, organize a shopping list, buy them, and then store them in plain sight so you won’t forget them in the vegetable crisper. By doing this, you are actually training your mind to follow through on your plan and making it as easy as possible to do so.
