Welcome to another “Ingredient of the Week” post. This week I’m going to talk about kale.
So I know I live in a bubble where green leafy things are just another part of everyday life and that some of my friends and family have barely heard of kale, much less eaten it, commonplace as it is. While I can understand being a little weirded out by the curly dark green stuff, it’s totally delicious and packed with nutrients like vitamins A and K and fiber. It’s also very approachable once you know how to work with it.
First, make sure you wash and dry kale well. Then you want to separate the leaves from the stalk. I’ve heard it described as “spinach with heft,” and you can use it in a lot of the same kinds of dishes in which you’d use spinach: soup, salads, pasta, and smoothies.
split-pea and kale soup
pasta with white beans, roasted pepper, and kale
green smoothie made with kale
You can also make kale chips. Try doing that with spinach. 
It’s very easy—drizzle washed and dried kale with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until crispy.
Enjoy!
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must… make… kalechips… nowwwww! I want to try it with pasta too! I’d totally cheat and use a creamy sauce though. bad jenn!
Creamy sauces don’t have to be unhealthy, though! I’ve seen some really awesome cashew-based ones and recipes that use almond milk and nutritional yeast. Haha maybe I should do an “ingredient of the week” on nutritional yeast—it sounds so much weirder than it is.
Kale is one of my very favorite vegetables, and the only one that Ari is always excited to eat! I’ve tried making kale chips before with unsuccessful results. I’ll have to give it another shot.
I love kale chips! I found that the trick was making sure they’re dry. I also learned the hard way not to put them under the broiler—they caught on fire when I did that. Good times.