Baked Kale Chips

baked kale chips

baked kale chips—pretty good for my first try.

I’m not sure exactly how healthy these are…but hey, you gotta live a little, right? All things in moderation!

I used pre-packaged (washed) organic/local mixed kale. (Yes, I realize that I sound like a Brooklyn stereotype). I didn’t even bother to de-vein it or tear it up either.

  • 1 packaged kale, or 1 bunch of de-veined kale, torn into pieces
  • 1 1/2-2 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • Sprinkling of sea salt
  • 1 tsp of crushed red pepper

Put kale in appropriate sized bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and crushed red pepper. (If you want spicier chips, use a mixture of chili powder and maybe some cumin). Massage oil and spices into kale until it’s well-coated. Evenly spread kale on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (hello? easier clean up) and bake at 275 degrees for about 20-25 min. About halfway through, turn kale over using tongs. It should be pretty crispy after 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it. What did I have for dinner? Um, possibly baked kale chips and beer. I’m not ashamed…it’s college football Saturday!

(Somewhat lazy) Lactino Kale Pesto and Lumachine

I was going to make some butternut squash risotto for dinner later, then I realized that I only had one carton of vegetable stock. Well, that wouldn’t do because I need 6-8 cups of stock. I didn’t feel like going outside and interrupting my work flow, so, the risotto will have to wait another day. And here I was all jazzed about risotto. Oh well. I searched in my fridge (which makes it sound like I have a bottomless vegetable crisper) and decided to use the lactino kale and make some pesto. So, I made it, tasted and adjusted and I’m still not sure about it. I added toasted walnuts, a clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper…BUT, it was still too bitter. Hm. So I added dash of white balsamic vinegar, some lemon zest and half a lemons worth of juice. Still not too sure. I will try it later. If it’s a fail, well, that’s okay. We should embrace our failures as much as our successes. I froze more than half the huge portion and will eat the remainder this week. After all, it’s just me here. No one to impress, really..

I wanted to use tiny shell pasta or even orzo for this. Of course you can use penne, rigatoni, or a tube pasta. Or, you can use a grain like couscous, farro, or barley too.

Kale Pesto

  • One bunch of lactino kale, washed trimmed
  • 1/3 -1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
  • Handful of toasted walnuts
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon (optional)
  • Dash of white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar (optional)
  • Salt, pepper to taste
  • Dash of red pepper flakes

Concerning the kale, I cut off the very end of the stalks but used most of the stems in addition to the leaves. (Hm, maybe that’s where some of the bitterness comes from?). Put all ingredients in a food processor until well combined. You may only need 1/3 cup of oil. If you have walnut oil, you could use that instead too. If you don’t have walnuts, use almonds. Those are good too. I don’t like pine nuts, hence they’re not in the recipe. Serve with warm pasta. Also, don’t drain out all the pasta water. While adding the pesto to the pasta in the bowl, add a few ladles (1/2 cup) of the pasta water. The starchy water makes the sauce creamier/thicker and helps with the consistency.

Raw Kale Salad

I think I have a problem.

Lately, I’ve been hooked on a recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I’ve made this kale salad several times (at least once a week) and have tweaked the recipe to my own tastes. I have used both dinosaur kale and flat leaf kale and both work well. I bet some rainbow swiss chard might work too, but it’s slightly more bitter than kale. For the dressing, I’ve added more lemon juice, lemon zest, a bit more avocado and a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and walnut oil. I’ve also swapped sunflower seeds for the toasted almonds (though both are great). I also added steamed favas and/or peas, thinly sliced radishes and a little bit of shaved pecorino cheese on top. The crunchy mixture of varying textures is addicting. The recipe does take a bit of time to prepare, but it’s totally worth it. This has become my go to summer meal. Thank you Heidi!!!

Spicy Lentils with Kale and Pearled Couscous

So, it’s around dinner time and I’m hungry. I look in my (almost bare) cupboard and find a can of lentils and two cans of diced tomatoes, one plain and one with jalapenos. I know that in my fridge I have some kale, onion, garlic, carrots and a parsnip. I also remember that I have some pearled couscous as well.

Hmmm.

What can I do with this?

So, without a recipe I sauté half the onion and two cloves of garlic, add some diced carrots and the parsnip. Then I decided to add an entire carton of Kitchen Basics Vegetable stock and add a bay leaf and a few dried hot peppers along with the kale and can of lentils (rinsed and drained). In the meantime I’ve also cooked the couscous and set it aside, figuring I’ll add at least half of it to the soupy stew mixture.

The recipe that follows can be altered with whatever veggies you have on hand. If you’ve got a sweet potato or raisins, add them. If you have no couscous, then skip it. It’s all about using what you have….and not being afraid to try something new. Now go pour yourself a glass of wine and have some fun!

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ yellow onion chopped
1 parsnip, cubed
1 bunch of kale (or collards or spinach)
Handful of baby carrots, diced
1 can of lentils
1 can of diced tomatoes w/zesty jalapenos
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 container of vegetable stock or broth
2-3 dried chili peppers
A dash of thyme
A dash of chili pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup cooked pearled couscous (cooked)
Salt and pepper to taste

*I’m betting that a handful of yellow raisins or even dried dates would be quite tasty as well.

Sauté the garlic and onions with cooking spray or a Tablespoon of olive or canola oil. Add the parsnip and carrot and cook until tender. Add the carton of vegetable stock/broth and the two cans of diced tomatoes. Add kale and wait until kale softens then add the lentils. Let simmer on low for 20 minutes or so until the veggies are soft and the kale is tender. Add the couscous and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Serve and eat.