Kale ~ It's Not Just for Decoration....

In high school I worked at Burger King.  One of my responsibilities was the upkeep of the salad bar.  That was my first introduction to kale.  We used it to cover the steel of the salad - in other words, take make things look nice.  Now, years later, I am learning all these cool recipes that call for kale.

Here are a few recipes we collected during January:

1.  Kale Chips

     Ingredients:

     Kale
     Coarse Sea Salt
     Spices of your liking
    

Rinse and dry (like, dry dry, not even a drop of water) the kale.

Lay out evenly on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle coarse sea salt whatever other spices you like. 

Place in 200 degree oven for approximately 30-40 minutes.

Voila! Kale chips!! And don't listen to what other people tell you, these things are amazingly addictive!!

2.  Stir-Fried Curly Kale

Cooking time

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes

1 tbsp. olive oil
200g bag curly kale
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 red chili, deseeded and sliced
1 large onion chopped up
1 large pepper ,chopped up

Method

Heat the oil in a large wok, then add the kale and a couple tbsp. water the chopped onion and pepper. Season, then stir-fry for 5-8 minutes, adding the garlic and chili for the final 2 minutes. When the kale is tender and a vibrant green, remove from the heat and serve.

Nutrition per serving

calories 44
protein 2g
carbs 1g
fat 4g
saturates 0g
fiber 2g
sugar 1g
salt 0.06g


3.  Sautéed Kale

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Per serving: Calories: 178; Total Fat: 11 grams; Saturated Fat: 1.5 grams; Protein: 6 grams; Total carbohydrates: 18 grams; Sugar: 0 grams Fiber: 3.5 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 336 milligrams