Adventures in Kale

Everyone raves about kale. Kale chips, kale in smoothies, kale salads, kale, kale, kale! After passing by it in the grocery store a bazillion times I decided last week to give it a try. One of the changes I've had to make on this journey is adding and deleting foods from my tank, er huh, plate. As serendipity would have it, Kroger had kale on sale for $1 a bunch so I bought some...actually, one bunch. 

What's so great about kale? According to the article "The Truth About Kale" by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, one cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily value requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of  magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

Armed with my kale, its nutrient benefits, and the internet I looked for some easy recipes to try. I like simple. I like very few ingredients. I like versatility. If a recipes calls for 15 ingredients and Top Chef level prep work, this Fit Girl will move on. While I came across a lot of tantalizing possibilities, I decided to go with two test dishes. The first, my weekly batch of veggie soup. The second, a basic sauteed kale recipe I found Eating Well.

My veggie soup recipe changes every week depending on what veggies I have on hand and what I have a hankering (yes, I said hankering) for that week. Other than the broth I don't really measure my ingredients. I just shoot for the quantity and array of colors that look appealing to me. And I use a mix of frozen and fresh veggies.

Veggie soup concoction

This week I used kale in place of spinach. I wasn't sure how to cook it but it looks so much like the greens my Granny cooks that I figured boiling it couldn't hurt. After sauteing the onion, garlic, basil, red pepper, mushrooms and adding all the veggies and broth I threw in the kale.

While the taste was not bad the texture threw me off a little bit in my soup. I'm guessing I didn't allow the kale to cook long enough because it was tough.  Not easily daunted I decided to give it another shot and try the sauteed kale recipe I found online.


Basic Sauteed Kale
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of EVOO

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of coarsely chopped kale, ribs removed

• 1/2 cup of water

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

• 2-3 teaspoons of sherry or red-wine vinegar

• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

**Let me pause here and confess that I did not have 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of kale. Remember, I only bought one bunch; so I improvised and just used what I had on hand. Also, I don't mince garlic, I buy it already minced--sue me! And another thing, I had three types of vinegar on hand none of which was red-wine vinegar. My choices were balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar. My taste buds advised that I go with the tried and true white vinegar.**

It really did turn "bright green"

Heat the 1 TBSP of oil in a Dutch oven (I just used a regular pan) over medium heat. Add kale and cook, tossing until it's bright green, about 1 minute.

Add water, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until kale is tender (12-15 minutes). **Another pause--I added a little sea salt and pepper. Okay, continue.**

Push kale to one side, add the remaining 1 tsp of oil to the empty side and cook garlic and crushed red pepper in it until fragrant (yes, I stood there smelling it), 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar to taste and salt.

Nutrition info: 1/2 cup serving, 80 calories, 5g fat, 7g carb, 1g fiber, 2g protein.  

This recipe was pretty good. The taste reminded me of my Granny's collard greens--especially with the red pepper and vinegar--without all the "pot liquor." However, I still don't know how I feel about the texture. It's a lot tougher and more fibrous than spinach. I can see how some people might over cook it to make it more tender (like my Granny's greens) but doing so would strip it of it's nutrients.

I can't say that I'm a huge kale fan now, but I will add it to my repertoire of veggies. Maybe next time I'll attempt kale chips--which really does not make me salivate in the least.
Until our next adventure EAT Fit4Life!!