I love kale for many reasons. First, it’s really tasty. Two, I can easily grow a lot of it making me feel like a master gardener. Three, it’s very versatile in recipes; kale can be used in cold or hot salads, smoothies, broths or stocks, casseroles, pizza crusts, cookies, and pesto, to name a few. Last but not least, kale is very good for you. According to Wikipedia kale contains vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, and manganese, and is also a great source of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E and several dietary minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Whoa, what I list, I feel healthier just reading about it.
If you are like me you might have an overabundance of kale at your house right now. Or maybe you received some kale from your neighbor or in your CSA. Regardless of where it comes from, you’re probably saying to yourself by now, “well I’m glad it’s tasty and healthy but what do I do with all of it”? Well, I’ll tell you. Now most, but not all of these recipes are for salad and they also include quite a bit of goat cheese, blueberries, and sometimes, bacon. Yum, a winning combination. Most are also simple variations of the same recipe, so feel free to experiment. Ok, here’s my top five list of favorite kale recipes.
Kale and Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups baby kale
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1/2 cup nuts your choice
- 1 large avocado
Roasted Beets
- 3 medium roasted beets
- 2 Tbl honey
- 3 Tbl balsamic vinegar
Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon pepper
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped fine
- 1 tsp fresh marjoram or oregano chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp garlic minced
Instructions
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Cut the tops off of the beets leaving about 1 inch of stem. Wash if needed. Roast the beets at 400 F for about 45 minutes or until fork tender. Cool the beets until room temperature and slice 1/4″ thick or cube the beets into 1/2″ chunks.
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While the beets are cooking or cooling off, make the salad dressing. Combine all ingredients for the salad dressing in pint jar and stir. The salad dressing is best after sitting for 24 hours so the flavors combine.
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Wash and dry the baby kale if needed. Throw the greens, avocado, beets, nuts, and goat cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with salad dressing and eat.
Kale, Goat Cheese, and Bacon Salad
Ingredients
- 20 kale leaves greater than 8″ long
- 2 Tbs maple syrup
- 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 lb cooked bacon chopped
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or pecans optional
Instructions
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Using a large knife cut the vein out of the kale leaves. Cut the kale leaves into 1″ square chunks.
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Throw the kale leaves, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and maple syrup into a large pan or wok.
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Turn the pan onto medium-low heat on the stovetop.
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As the pan heats toss the contents of the pan continuously with a couple of forks until the leaves turn bright green but not wilting. This should take less than 5 minutes.
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Immediately remove the leaves from the pan and place onto individual plates or bowls.
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Top the bowls with crumbled goat cheese, bacon, and nuts if desired.
Kale in Your Soup
This is good for any of your favorite soups that need a bit of green. The greens soften without being mushy. You can even reheat the soup in the microwave or stove top and the leaves will still stay firm.
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale leaves
Instructions
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Use either baby leaves or large leaves with the stem cut off at the level of the leaf.
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Wash the leaves if necessary in cold water.
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About 5 minutes before the soup is ready to serve throw in the fresh kale leaves.
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Eat and enjoy.
Mixed Green Salad with Kale
Ingredients
- 4 cups baby kale
- 4 cups lettuce or spinach
- 1/2 cup peas raw and fresh
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1/2 cup nuts chopped of your choice
- 1 large avocado
Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon pepper
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped fine or ground
- 1 tsp fresh marjoram or oregano chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp garlic minced
Instructions
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Make the salad dressing 24 hours ahead off time if possible. The dressing is better if it sits for awhile to absorb the flavors.
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Wash and dry all kale, lettuce, and spinach if necessary.
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Chop all the greens (unless they are baby greens) into 1″ chunks.
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Throw the greens , avocado, nuts, fresh, peas, and goat cheese in a bowl.
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Drizzle with salad dressing.
Blueberry Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 20 kale leaves greater than 8″ long
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries wild are preferred
- 2 oz goat cheese
- 1/2 cup slice almonds or chopped pecans optional
Instructions
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Using a large knife cut the vein out of the kale leaves. Cut the kale leaves into 1″ square chunks.
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Throw the kale leaves, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup into a large pan or wok and turn the pan onto medium-low.
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As the pan heats toss the contents of the pan continuously with a couple of forks until the leaves turn bright green but not wilting. This should take less than 5 minutes.
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Immediately remove the kale from the pan and place it onto individual plates or bowls.
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Top the kale with crumbled goat cheese, blueberries, and nuts if desired.
YUM! I was given a bunch of kale and I ate it all in one day! I started roasting it for kale chips but then it tasted sooo good I ate it with eggs and toasts, plain, and then finished it off as a big ol’ bowl of roasted kale. Next time I’ll have to be patient and try some of your recipes!
Thanks Kristin. The recipes are worth making. I harvested a bunch again tonight and made kale salad with beets. Maybe I’ll try it with eggs in the morning. Enjoy.