Twelve Whole-Food Plant-Based Kale Recipes You Should Try This Week (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with too much fresh kale? ›

As a result, for those who prefer cooked kale, steaming it for a short duration may be the best way to preserve its nutrient levels. Kale is a nutrient-dense food that's high in several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Kale is the poster child of healthful eating. If you haven't ventured far beyond sautéing or juicing kale, you may be surprised at the versatility of this green. It can be mellow in a soup or sharp in a salad, crispy as a "chip" or velvety when braised.

According to research, kale contains "progoitrin, a compound that can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis, and thiocyanate ions, which can crowd out the iodine your thyroid needs." When consumed in large quantities, "one could experience a swelling of the thyroid, often called a goiter."

1. Gastrointestinal problems, such as bloating and gas. For some of us, kale's high levels of insoluble fiber result in an overburdened digestive system, which causes bloating, gas and flatulence.

Kale works best with other robust flavours such as lemon, chilli, garlic, olive oil, cheese, tomato, fresh mint and basil, or as a contrast to sweet potato or carrot. In Italy, where it's commonly grown in backyards, cavolo nero is added to a hearty cannellini bean and vegetable soup called ribollita.

Anti-inflammatory foods

green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards. nuts like almonds and walnuts. fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines. fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.

For example, to absorb the most nutrients from kale, a rich source of both vitamin K and provitamin A, consider dressing your leaves with extra virgin olive oil or tahini dressing. You can also add avocado or a handful of seeds to your salad.

First things first: Kale and collard stems are tough, chewy, and fibrous. While we enjoy the occasional raw collard or kale salad, you should never eat the stems raw.

What makes kale a super food? ›

Kale is high in many vitamins (A, K, C, and folate), important minerals (potassium, calcium, and magnesium), and dietary fiber [23].

Cutting the stems crossways shortens the fibres, much as with a tough steak, making them perfectly edible and preventing waste. Cut this way, the stems can be cooked in the same way as the rest of the leaf: sauteed, boiled or steamed.

It's a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Taste-wise, kale can have bitter notes, so combining it with spicy, sweet or acidic elements, such as vinegar, lemon or red wine, can counteract and balance the mild bitterness. Salt is also an important ingredient when cooking with kale.

Using leftover steak to add to your salad is a good choice. When adding steak onto a salad, I like to cut it into bite size pieces to make it easy to eat. Lean and protein packed, turkey is a fantastic protein choice to add to your next kale salad bowl.

You can freeze kale without blanching, but plan to use it within four to six weeks. Unblanched kale may develop a bitter flavor because you haven't stopped the action of the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves.

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.

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.

Store Whole Bunches In the Fridge

To avoid excess moisture, wrap the whole bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should keep for 1 week.