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A New Way to Eat Kale

Kale is a great source of plant-based calcium along with lots of other bone healthy nutrients. I include kale in my Smoothie recipes. I’ve done blogs on kale pesto, Massaged Kale Salads and other ideas including kale chips.

Recently, I came across an article in the March/April 2022 issue of Cook’s Illustrated extoling the virtues of roasted kale. I roast almost all vegetables but never thought of roasting kale, or any leafy green for that matter. It just takes 10 minutes in a hot oven and minimal prep time. Cook’s recommends serving it as a stand-alone side dish or incorporating it into pasta, grain bowls or scrambles. The more fibrous, curly kale works better than Lacinato or dinosaur kale. The goal is for the kale to be crunchy and browned on the edges, with crisped centers and some still tender wilted spots.

To roast kale, rinse and strip the stems from the leaves. Drying in a salad spinner will leave just enough moisture on the leaves. A pound of kale should serve four people. Tear the leaves into 2 inch pieces. Then spread the leaves on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook’s recipe calls for combining  2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil), 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp. grated lemon zest, ½ tsp. table salt (I used a fine sea salt), and ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes. Pour the oil mixture over the kale, being sure to coat all surfaces of the leaves, gently massage the kale until it softens and wilts slightly. Then roast the kale in a 400 degree oven around 10 minutes, until the leaves are tender and edges are crisp and browned. You need to eat it immediately.

You can try using different seasonings for a different result, including grated Parmesan cheese.

I loved it roasted. My husband, who thinks he doesn't like kale and doesn’t know I sneak it into his daily  Smoothies, ate it without any complaints, or any left on his plate.

 

posted on 2/26/2022