7Gen Blog

yum!

Love kale...and from the above comments, i solved a problem! I made sausage and peppers, and had a Mary moment and forgot to add garlic! So i'm gonna saute the leftover kale from making kale chips with garlic and olive oil and add it to the sausage! Thanq!

Kale - yummy!

Thanks to all who posted - I cannot get enough kale and am always looking for a good excuse to eat more ;-) I was delighted to see the kale and sweet potato recipe, as it is similar to my favorite method, but enough different to make a change of pace. My method is relatively simple and extremely flexible - less a recipe than a concept. ;-)

The day before I want to make this (or that morning if it is easier) I bake 3 or 4 sweet potatoes in the oven (never nuke 'em - they lose nutritional value and never develop that lush sweetness!) and prepare the kale - wash, spin-dry, get rid of heavy stems, tear to reasonable size or roll and cut if doing a huge batch (worth it!). As so many of my recipes do, this one starts with sauteing garlic in olive oil - the method of chopping/mincing and amount is optional - I coarsely chop - lots of it. When it is translucent but not yet crisp add the kale in batches. I don't turn the heat down right away, but let the kale slightly caramelize with the garlic. Then after the first batch cooks down a bit add the next and turn down the heat and cover. When all the kale is in the pot I let it steam itself - no added liquid needed. When it is all limp I add the sweet potato, cubed, and also whatever sausage I have on hand. I've gone full veggie using veggie kielbasa or veggie Italian, but I've also used real kielbasa, real sweet Italian, chicken & apple, Andouille - whatever you happen to like works. When everything is hot through it is ready to serve! If I am using a sausage that needs to cook, rather than just re-heat I add it at the beginning with the garlic. I have also occasionally added the sweet potato at the beginning to let it brown & caramelize a bit - extra yummy! It freezes well and makes a fabulous quick lunch - I've even been known to eat it for breakfast ;-)

Kale recipes

I look forward to attempting kale chips! I have thus far only preserved kale in 1/2-1" sq. pieces and dried or frozen. I then use these in soups, stews, salads and sandwiches, always with other vegetables. Kale and swiss chard, used this way, are staples throughout the winters.

Kale, Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup (Vegetarian)

This is a wonderful soup for this time of year:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12-oz. package vegetarian sausage, preferably Kielbasa-style,
sliced into 1" rounds
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into 2" chunks
1 large bag kale, fully washed
1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
2 quarts vegetable stock

In the largest pot you have, place the olive oil and heat over medium. When the olive oil is warm, put in the next 5 ingredients. Saute' approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Place the kale over the sausage mixture. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning over the kale. Pour the vegetable stock over all. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Simmer 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Serve with a good, dense bread. The amount of servings you get out of this depends on how much kale will fit into your pot, but in my house, I think we get about 6 servings out of it, not counting the bottom of the pot (which I usually have for breakfast the next day). Preparing it a day ahead only improves it.

Kale curry.

I really like the recipe. When I was expecting I used to eat lot of green leafy vegetables. And one day I did got to make Kale curry.

Ingredients:
2 bunch of finely chopped kale leaves with soft stems
oil
10-15 mustard seed
pinch of asafoetida
salt
1 teaspoon of coriander powder
1 teaspoon of Garam Masala
half teaspoon of red chilly powder
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 tablespoon of corn flour

Take oil in pan add mustard seed and wait for it to crack. Now add pinch of Asafoetida in it. Then add Kale leaves and little bit of water and let it cook until leaves start to become translucent.If there is no water add some water. Now add salt,turmeric powder,Garam Masala, red chilly powder and coriander powder. Let it cook until all spices get mixed well with kale. To make gravy thick, take corn flour and mix that with water add this liquid into the Kale. Keep the curry on stove for another 5-7 minutes and then switch off the stove.

Serve this curry with paratha and non-fat yogurt.

Optional:- You can add little bit of grounded coconut on this curry and mix it well.

One of our family's favorite snacks!

Here's our favorite version:

http://www.celebrategreen.net/blog/food/recipe-for-crispy-lovers

(Always choose local, organic ingredients when possible)

Ingredients:

One bunch kale (any type)

4 tablespoons olive oil

One teaspoon garam marsala,

Salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

Wash kale, remove stems and cut into 2 inch by 2 inch pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl with olive oil, garam marsala, salt and pepper. Toss kale with spices, evenly distributing spices among kale. Place on an oiled baking pan, doing you best to separate kale pieces so they are not touching. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 10-15 (or until crispy). Enjoy!

Kale with Lemon, Olive Oil and Salt

My favorite way to make kale is so quick and easy. Just steam the leafy parts (my son likes to help rip up the leaves) for a few minutes, then pour on olive oil, lemon (I use about a half a lemon per bunch of kale) and sprinkle salt. Even my 2 year old loves it.

It's also great if you put it through your juicer with a granny smith apple.

Go super greens!

Kale chips + parmesan cheese

We make kale chips using a recipe similar to the one in this post, but we sprinkle parmesan cheese on top before baking. We also shake the kale in a bag of olive oil and garlic powder instead of drizzling the oil directly over the kale on the pan. But overall... it's our favorite way to eat kale! Thanks for sharing the idea in the newsletter.