Eat more kale

Why should you include kale in your diet? Kale is a source of vitamins A, C and K as well as copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. One cup contains only 40 calories but packs almost 3 grams of protein.  One cup of cooked kale has over 1000% more vitamin C than a cup of cooked spinach. I won't bore you with more nutritional information here, but if you are diabetic or are concerned about heart disease, you might want to research more benefits of this veggie on your own.

For reasons unknown to us, our kale is looking better than ever this year....... oh the wonders and surprises when you garden. If you haven't already tried making kale chips, you should start with that recipe. If you are ready to move on, I will tell you about a kale salad and fried rice with pork and kale.

Kale Chips
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Wash and dry kale. Cut out center stem, then chop kale into 2" squares.  In a bowl, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking sheet being careful not to overlap any of the pieces. 

Bake for about 7 min, then turn kale.  Bake for about 4-5 more min watching carefully that the kale does not burn. Cool briefly and enjoy!

      

     Kale Salad (from Larissa Bailey, Geauga Farm Market Manager)

     6 cups chopped kale (remove center stem)

     1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

     1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

     
Dressing:

     4 T olive oil

     Juice of 1 lemon

     Salt and pepper

     Pinch of sugar

     
Note:  I think this is even the better the next day.

     
Fried Rice with Pork and Kale  (Courtesy of Molly Wizenberg from her new book, Delancey)
1 bunch kale                                            
3 T peanut or grapeseed oil  

      4 cups cold cooked rice            
4 oz. smoked pulled pork (or any other leftover cooked meat
Fine sea salt to taste     
1 T fish sauce (or more to taste)                            
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice           

Wash and dry the kale leaves. Trim away the woody stems and then chop or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Heat a wok or large 12" heavy skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a drop of water to instantly evaporate, add 1 T of the oil. Add the kale and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted and beginning to char at the edges, 1-3 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt. Scrape the kale into a bowl, add 1 tsp. of the lemon juice and toss to mix.

      With the wok still over high heat, add the rice, and then immediately add the remaining 2 T. oil. Stir to coat the rice with oil. Then spread the rice all around the wok so that as much of it touches the hot surface as possible, and let it cook, untouched, for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the rice on the bottom is browned and can be scraped away from the walls of the wok without resistance. Stir well, and then spread it out and let it sit again, untouched, for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue to cook until the rice is evenly hot and browned to your liking. Then add the pork and 1 T. fish sauce, stirring well.  Cook until the meat is heated through and then stir in the kale. Add the remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice and toss well. Transfer rice to a serving dish, taking care to scrape up any tasty browned bits that stick to the pan!  Add some chopped, fresh herbs at the end such as cilantro, basil or a little dill.  Yield:  2 hearty servings.

     I hope you are inspired to try one of these recipes!

In addition to kale this week, we will also have:

    Red and golden beets

    Swiss chard

    Red and green lettuce
   Mixed salad greens

    Basil 

    Cilantro

    Strawberry jam

    Grape jelly