Three Easy Kale Recipes

At the end of every week, it's inevitable that I'll be digging through the fridge and find, lurking in the back of the crisper or stuffed inexplicably in the condiments drawer, yet ANOTHER monster bunch of kale which I'm sure I already ate days ago. I think kale must be like Gremlins fed past midnight: the moment you shut the door, it begins to reproduce exponentially. So, in order to save the world (or at least my fridge) from being overrun, I found some really quick, easy recipes that require lots of kale and minimum prep. Here are a few of my favorites.

Kale and Walnut Pesto

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lb kale, without stems
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (optional - I like the pure taste of greens and garlic!)
sea salt, to taste

1. Toast walnuts over high heat until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add kale and 1T salt. Cook about 15 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain kale. Add to food processor with garlic and walnuts.
4. While processing, slowly add olive oil until smoothly pureed.
(5. Stir in Parmesan.)
6. Enjoy with pasta or rice, spread on a sandwich, crackers, or just by the yummy spoonful! ;-)


Kale Chips

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Dump in a big bowl and drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Tenderly massage kale with your hands (this will lull the leafy beast into submission...) until thoroughly coated with oil and salt.
3. Spread kale on cookie sheet in one layer. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes - check often, they burn quickly!


Easy Kale With Pecans
from Summer Tomato

1 bunch kale or chard
1/4 cup chopped pecans or pistachios
Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Sea salt to taste

1. Mince garlic.
2. Rinse kale. Remove stems and cut into 1 inch wide strips. If your leaves are wide, cut them into 1-2 inch squares. It’s okay if your greens are still wet, the water will help them steam.
3. Using a pan with tall sides and a lid, add the nuts and turn it on medium heat. Lightly toast the nuts, stirring regularly with tongs.
4. After 2-3 minutes, add olive oil to the pan and allow it to heat up. Add your chopped greens to the pan, sprinkle generously with sea salt and toss with tongs. Cover.
5. Stir the greens occasionally so they don’t burn, always replacing the lid after stirring. Continue cooking the greens as they wilt and turn dark green. If they start to burn lower the heat, add 1-2 tbsp of water and cover again to steam.
6. Kale is done cooking when it is dark green and tender.
7. Before turning off the heat, clear a space in the center of the pan and add your minced garlic in a single layer. Allow the garlic to cook until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds, then mix it up with the kale and nuts.
8. Continue to cook greens uncovered for another minute or two. Taste test a leaf for saltiness and adjust to taste.
9. Serve immediately.