Get Your Green on With These 20 Tasty Kale Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What flavors go well with kale? ›

Top pairings

* Apple-flavoured drinks especially apple juice and cider work well with salads that include kale such as this one. Or try a grüner veltliner. * Fresh-tasting natural reds such as young syrah and mencia from Spain's Bierzo region are good with hearty stews and soups that are based on kale.

Pour greens into skillet over medium heat and sautée until greens have softened and become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a serving dish. Wipe out the pan.

People who may need to avoid or limit kale intake are those who form oxalate-containing kidney stones or take the blood thinners Coumadin or warfarin. Be sure to check with your health care professional or dietitian if you have questions.

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.

A teaspoon of minced garlic adds just the right amount of flavor. You can keep it simple or add salt, pepper, and/or other seasonings to taste. The kale is cooked in olive oil until bright green and tender.

Sauté It. Cooking kale in a frying pan over medium-high to high heat with a bit of butter or oil is a quick and tasty way to serve it. Season it with salt and pepper or add garlic or sweet or chile peppers for extra flavor.

The best tasting variety is a matter of preference, however 'Black Magic' takes the cake for the mildest flavor and enjoyable texture in sautees. For raw eating, opt for a 'Siberian' or baby kale blend. For chips, nothing beats 'Blue Curled Scotch'.

Steaming is a better option than boiling because you don't lose as many nutrients with this cooking method, according to Gray. “You're not giving it heat treatment for very long, so it's closest to raw that you can get and you still are cooking it to some degree,” she said.

Let the kale soak.

This will help soften any dirt stuck onto the kale in the crevices of the leaves. Five to 10 minutes is a good range of time to soak your kale.

To preserve nutrients, don't cook kale for more than 10 minutes over high heat (in a skillet or oven at 400°F). Limit baking kale to 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F. Don't prewash kale before using, it can wilt the leaves quickly.

Why do I feel better after eating kale? ›

Kale offers an abundance of nutrients that support heart health, including potassium, fiber, folate, and calcium. As part of a heart-healthy diet, kale can reduce the risk of heart disease by helping lower LDL cholesterol, or “bad cholesterol”.

Spinach and other leafy green vegetables like kale, lettuce, etc. are great for burning belly fat and are very nutritious as well. There have been some studies done on the subject of the fat burning capabilities of spinach and the very healthy veggie has come out a winner in this category.

Because of the low calorie and high water content, kale has a low energy density. Eating plenty of foods with a low energy density has been shown to aid weight loss in numerous studies ( 30 , 31 ). Kale also contains a small amount of fiber, which is an important nutrient that has been linked to weight loss ( 32 ).

Line a zip-top storage bag with paper towels. Place about two cups of dry kale inside the bag, squeeze out any excess air, and secure the bag. Store in the crisper drawer of your fridge for five to seven days. The stems should face toward the back of the fridge, where the air is colder.

No! Quite the opposite! Freezing kale while fresh helps for it to retain its nutrients. This is true for all frozen veggies, so don't be afraid to freeze your veggies and use them!

Manganiello says you can eat kale every day, just don't overdo it. She recommends one to two servings maximum of kale per day, leaving room for other healthy foods that provide an assortment of nutrients.

Raw kale can be hard to digest. Kale's fibrous cell walls may prevent your body from absorbing nutrients, but cooking kale can reduce its antioxidant content. Nutrition experts say steaming kale is a good way to make it easier to digest while preserving most of the nutrients.