30 Hearty, Verdant Kale Recipes to Make This Winter (2024)

FAQs

What is the most delicious way to eat kale? ›

In a large saucepan bring about 2 cups of water and a large pinch of salt (⅛ to ¼ tsp.) to boiling. Add 12 ounces torn kale. Return to boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.

Massaging Kale – massaging kale with a little oil and/or lemon juice for just a few minutes makes it more tender and easier to chew. Plus, it adds an extra boost of flavor.

Kale is a nutritious food rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene. It also contains nutrients that can support eye health, weight management, heart health, and more. Loaded with important micronutrients and antioxidants, kale is one of the most nutritious leafy greens available.

Kale can be good for adding fiber and antioxidants to the diet in many savory dishes, salads, and smoothies. Various health benefits include managing blood pressure and boosting digestive health. Kale is a leafy green cruciferous vegetable that is rich in nutrients.

You can freeze kale without blanching, but plan to use it within four to six weeks. Unblanched kale may develop a bitter flavor because you haven't stopped the action of the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves.

Kale can be frozen without blanching but should be used within 4 weeks. Blanching greens before freezing stops the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves. This will ensure that the leaves taste fresh and will not develop a bitter taste. Blanched kale will last up to 1 year in the freezer.

If You're Making Sautéed Kale, a Few Tips

The fastest way to prep kale is to simply pull the leaves from the stems with your own two hands. Don't pat dry. Since kale is so fibrous, it can be difficult to cook down the leaves so that they're tender and not chewy.

Additionally, overcooking kale can cause it to become mushy and lose its texture, making it less enjoyable to eat. Another reason why kale can taste bad when cooked is that it contains sulfur compounds that are released when it is cooked. These compounds can create a bitter taste that some people find unpleasant.

What goes well with kale? ›

Kale is a great green veggie that mixes with many things: Cranberry, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, Bluberries, strawberries, raspberries, almonds, cashews, Spring mix lettuce. Steak, salmon, Chicken.

Additionally, overcooking kale can cause it to become mushy and lose its texture, making it less enjoyable to eat. Another reason why kale can taste bad when cooked is that it contains sulfur compounds that are released when it is cooked. These compounds can create a bitter taste that some people find unpleasant.

Add Sweet to Kale: Sweet foods go well with kale because they counter its rather bitter taste. Serve curly kale up as a salad with simple ingredients like a blood orange, mango and slivered almonds or apple, feta and toasted walnuts or cook kale up with caramelized onion.

Adding salt and squeezing lemon make a big difference by removing bitterness. Adding some spicy or sweet flavors may help tame the strong flavor of bitter kale.

Also known as dinosaur or Tuscan kale, these slender, dark green leaves have bumpy or bubble-like texture, Glass says. You can enjoy them raw or cooked because the leaves are a little more tender and they have a slightly sweeter flavor, says Lawrence Tse, farm manager at Dig Inn.

Kale is great as a side dish or in a smoothie, and you can't go wrong with steaming it. Steamed kale retains important nutrients, such as calcium, that are important for you to have. Luckily, steaming kale can be as easy as chopping it and putting it in a steamer or microwave.