A lot of people I know don’t cook with kale, or even know what this vegetable is. Unless you are a health food store junkie or an avid reader of vegetarian recipes, kale is one of the best-kept secrets of the vegetable world. And once you are inducted into the amazingness of eating kale, there really is no turning back.
Kale is not an ubiquitous kitchen staple compared to more common vegetables like carrots and onions, but it should be. As a type of cabbage, it is very high in anti-oxidants and has antiflammatory properties. This dark-green and leafy vegetable is also chock loaded with beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and calcium. 
In addition to its stellar nutrition resume, kale is simply a delicious and versatile vegetable that can be prepared in a number of ways. You can eat it raw in a salad, bake it into crisp chips, sautee it with onions, add to soup or use as a lettuce replacement for burgers, sandwiches and spring rolls.
Hail kale. I’m a fervent neophyte of the kale, and I invite all of you to join the movement to eat more kale.
Several delicious kale recipe ideas are listed below.
- Baked kale chips recipe from All Recipes. You won’t believe how ridiculously easy this is to make. Just rub with olive oil, add a shake of salt, and stick in the oven for ten minutes to treat yourself to a crisply baked snack that gets addictive fast. Perfect for veggie-hating kids and the inner veggie-hating child of big adults.
- Dehydrated kale chips recipe from We Like It Raw. Do you have a dehydrator? Instead of baking kale leaves, you can dehydrate them to enjoy this veggie in chip form. The plus side of this method is that you will enjoy more of the nutrients found in raw form, as vital enzymes in raw vegetables get destroyed in high heat.
- Kale salad with pine nuts, currants and Parmesan recipe from Epicurious. Sick of your usual lettuce or spinach salads? Raw kale saves the day with its crisp crunch and slightly bitter flavor.
- Sauteed kale recipe from Food Network. A simple, super-easy and super-healthy vegetable side-dish that is an instant crowd-pleaser for your next lunch or dinner.
- Kielbasa kale stew recipe from All Recipes. Though kale can easily stand on its own as a side dish or salad, it also makes for a great addition to a main dish, such as this potato stew recipe.
- Kale and olive oil mashed potatoes from 101 Cookbooks. Want to add more nutritional punch to this standard American sidedish? Duh, add some kale.
PHOTO (cc): Flickr / ex.libris
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