How do you Kale?

Most of what I read in the nutrition realm these days is about kale.  All I hear is kale provides loads of antioxidants, vitamin A, C, K and B6.  It provides all the amino acids your body needs to make protein. It also supplies a notable amount of iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.  Scientists cannot seem to say enough about this leafy green vegetable.  Kale belongs to the Brassica family, the same family as broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.  Kale specifically and the Brassica family generally are both known for their cancer fighting and cholesterol lowering powers.  Not only that, but kale contains lutein and zeaxanthin compounds which play a significant role in promoting eye-health.  You thought carrots were good for your eyes, try kale instead.

To be honest, I had never tasted kale. Nor did I know what it looked like before today.  So I bought a bunch of kale and decided to try it.  I was missing out on this nutritional power house; I could not stand it any longer.  After internet research and social networking with friends, I decided to try the kale 3 different ways: kale chips, sautéed kale, and raw. This is what I found:

1.       Raw Kale: it has too much texture, especially for salads.  I saw some baby kale packaged for use in salads.  Baby kale may not be as tough, I will try it next time I see it.

2.       Sauteed Kale: Definitely not for me.  I tried a recipe off of recipes.com.  The reviewers gave it 4.5 stars but it had a bitter after taste I did not care for.

3.       Kale Chips: Ah, I am in love. Light and crunchy but with almost no calories; they are addictive.  I had 4 different people at my house today.  All of them loved the kale chips.  They did not taste at all like potato chips but it was a pleasant surprise for my palate.  I will do it again soon.  The recipe is simple.

Crunchy Kale Chips

 

Kale Chips:

Serving:  4

Ingredients:

½ a bunch of fresh kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

A touch of salt

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  It is very important to heat the oven beforehand so the kale does not get soggy.  Wash the kale, dry it and remove the soft leafy part from the stems.  This is not hard; you can just tear it off the stems. Then tear them to about the size of potato chips.  Put the kale leaves in a large bowl then slowly drizzle the olive oil over the leaves while mixing them with your hands.  Once you have drizzled all the oil and added a dab of salt, continue to mix the leaves making sure the olive oil covers all the kale with a very thin layer.  Arrange the kale in a thin cookie sheet over parchment or wax paper.  Put in the heated oven for ten minutes.  Once the ten minutes are up; remove promptly, kale chips can easily burn.  Put them in a plate and enjoy nutrition with a crunch.