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Speaking of Kale…

August 21, 2010
(image from World Community Cookbook)

Evidently there are some strong opinions about kale out there. When I posted on Facebook that my children accused me of child abuse when I served it with dinner, some sent their sympathies – to the kids, that is, while others sent the health benefits and their favorite recipes! My favorite responses were Missy’s…” I say make ’em eat more!” and Jenny’s….” I thought kale was a garnish. You mean you are supposed to EAT it?”

I’ve already posted one kale recipe this summer that even the kids could admit was tasty. (It has sauteed pepperoni and honey in it, so what’s not to like?) I’ve also been putting a lot of the kale I get from the farm on a weekly basis in smoothies. But here is another fun and tasty way to get this superfood into your diet: Kale Pesto!

It really doesn’t taste too much different from basil pesto, and it comes out an even more rich and beautiful GREEN!

Kale Pesto


Ingredients
¼- ½ cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ -2 teaspoons salt
½ pound kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped (1 medium bunch should do)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Toss with pasta or use as a spread or pizza topper! Freeze in ice cube trays if you can’t use it all at once.

*I did not cook the kale at all, but you can steam it until tender before blending with other ingredients if you prefer. You can also toast the walnuts. That is what the original recipe, which came from a Washington Post food column, called for.

3 thoughts on “Speaking of Kale…”

  1. Yum! We went to an amazing raw restaurant in OKC last month and now my children love kale. They have the yummiest dehydrated kale chips ever. Now if I could only replicate it at home.

  2. I fell in love with kale last year. One of my favorites is kale chips. Take a ton of kale and wash it and spin very dry. Then toss in a large enough bowl with EVOO (I find that the spray stuff actually works better for a light and even coating- keeping it light is best or it gets soggy). Add some salt and/or other seasoning (I'm obsessed with Old Bay but just Kosher salt is a close second in my book). Bake at…shoot I forget…I *think* about 275 until crispy. It's not very long. It makes my house smell like kale but its such a fun movie night snack.

  3. I have tried to make kale chips at home and have NOT been successful! Maybe I will try again. Did you use a certain kind of kale?

    And Betsy – someone else just told me about the raw restaurant in OKC. Going to have to remember that next time we're there!

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