Kale salad with edemame and peanut oil dressing.
I read some stuff in the media early this year that suggested that kale was passe. Overexposure resulted in people getting burned out. I think it’s the pendulum effect that happens with most everything…too far in one direction is always countered by a swing back. It’s a little crazy when this happens with healthy foods, but it does. While kale may not be the “it” vegetable right now, it’s still on my list every week. Here’s why and some recipes that I love…
Kale is super nutritious. I mean exceptionally nutritious. One cup of kale provides more than 130% of your daily value (DV) for vitamins A and C, it even has 10% DV of calcium and 5% iron. It also has tons of vitamin K and provides fiber. And all this in just over 30 calories.
It’s also fantastically versatile. I use kale in eggs, calzones, smoothies, and salads. I made kale chips recently and my toddler LOVED it. Here are a few recipes for some of my favorite ways to use kale:
- Super Summer Kale Salad via Allrecipes.com – This is basically the kale salad I eat most of the
Quick and easy kale chips, baked with sesame seeds.
time. I use whatever fresh fruit or berries I have or leave them out and add more veg, as well as nuts, and dress it a good 30 minutes (or up to overnight) before I eat it.
- Green Peanut Butter Smoothie via Bon Appetit – To this basic recipe, I would add a spoonful of chia seeds or wheat germ.
- Lemon Kale Chips via Food.com – This is a great basic recipe for kale chips. To this, I might add some crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, and/or sesame seeds.
Who cares what’s trendy? I’m interested in what’s tasty, what’s nutritious, and what my family’s going to eat! That’s why kale’s in my cart. Every. Week.
