Kale - convince me

[CuriousCat]

So I've never really mastered cooked dark leafy greens. Never really cooked them, never really eaten them. My brain keeps telling me that leaves are for salad, not for cooking. I think it's a texture thing.

 

But I want to like them. I now have a bunch of market fresh kale in my fridge, and no real idea of what to do to it.

 

Tell me your yummiest, most amazing things to do with kale. Help me find the light, and cook it such a way that even my veggie suspect husband will find it delicious. 

[1Maryann]

 I was a skeptic, too, about the leafies, but now I love them!   I don't cook kale, I massage it and use it in salads.  Just wash, dry (salad spinner), cut the tough vein out and tear the leaves into smaller pieces.  Sprinkle with a little olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, and sea salt, then work them into the kale for several minutes.  It tenderizes the leaves and serves as the base for a dressing.

 

For cooking, I love Chard--any kind.  Sauteed with garlic, lemon, and maybe some compliant bacon.  I loosely follow this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pan-fried-swiss-chard/detail.aspx  I sub olive oil or ghee for butter, and fresh, crushed garlic for the paste.

[jent103]

I love this kale salad - no cooking for me either (I've never been into cooked greens of any sort). Easy, fresh, delicious!

 

http://www.marinmamacooks.com/2012/03/lacinato-kale-salad/

[amberino21]

I will eat it raw or cooked, or dehydrated in to kale chips...

But to cook it quickly and easily, I love putting it in a hot pan with some oil and garlic

[Colleen Roy]

I'm not a huge kale fan....but I did like kale chips right out if the oven. Or in soups. Otherwise, not a fan. Spinach and arugula on the other hand...LOVE.

[Roz Griffiths]

I use nomnompaleo's pressure cooker method - saute onion & carrots (bacon fat is good, natch), add garlic, chuck in the kale, salt, pepper & a splash of stock, bring to pressure & cook for 8 minutes, add a splash of balsamic vinegar & you're good to go. I also like it just lightly boiled

[MrsStick]

I chopped my first bunch up pretty small, sauteed in butter (nonW30) for about twice as long as I thought it should be since it holds up much more than spinach does in a pan, added eggs and scrambled them up. My husband said "this looks suspiciously like a crust-less quiche, but as long as you don't call it that, I'll eat it. Real men don't eat quiche."

 

*facepalm*

[angelajl]

I put kale in many dishes! I chop it into small (1"x1"?) pieces and add it in near the end.

 

Here's how I put it in my breakfast every day.

 

I *hate* cooked spinach, but I *love* cooked kale!

[thewyrdwoman]

Kale crispies, any flavor!  Nuff said!!

[AshleyAnth]

I normally put it in salads, but sometimes I will bake a bunch of veggies, and throw kale in there. I sprinkle fresh garlic and olive oil over all the veggies. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

[bookluvingbabe]

After I cook a steak or chops, I put the baby kale leaves in the pan and let them wilt down.  They cook quickly and by the time the meat has rested the kale (or spinach or chard) is ready to eat.

[Juice06870]

i tear it up by hand into smaller bite size pieces and just toss it in a pan and sautee it in coconut oil until it gets nice and crispy around the edges.  Add salt and pepper and I'm a happy man.

[Ravin]

Kale chips! Awesome!

[Mom2A&M]

Wash and dry well, tear into bite sized pieces. Toss with oil, garlic and salt. Bake @300 for about 12 mins. I line my baking sheet with non stick foil too. Eat promptly! My husband chows these down (non paleo, junk food lover).

[Xandra]

I cook chopped kale along with ground beef or sautéed veg in a large sauté pan (large because I make enough to last a few days). Add the kale last because it requires less time over heat.  This morning, I'm using the veg mix and pouring beef broth over it to make soup for breakfast.

[ConcreteJungleJane]

This salad has inspired a love of kale in more than one eater: 

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe/index.html

 

Just leave out the honey, of course. 

[SpinSpin]

Yes, I second the above recipe--first time I ever got my hubby to eat raw kale was with that recipe. It is really good and I ADORE the whole food kale salad dupe that is floating around. it is really yummy too. 

[Delaine Ross]

I sautee it on the stove with onions and garlic until it's cooked down and then add eggs/meat.

[Susan W]

I make the Whole Foods recipe for Garlicky Kale Salad all the time. If you google it, the copycat recipe will pull up. The blogger is "eating for birds" or something similar. Her recipe says let it sit for an hour, but I do the massage thing.

[lisawhip]

I really only like my greens cooked. With kale (or Brussels sprouts) you really can't go wrong with pig and vinegar (bacon and apple cider vin, prosciutto and balsamic, etc.). Chard I just sauté in olive oil, sometimes with garlic or pepper flakes, and then a squeeze of lemon or balsamic. I've also sautéed every kind of greens with pine nuts and golden raisins, but I'm avoiding raisins at present.