FAQ about kale

Q: What is kale?

A: kale is a dark green leafy vegetable. The kale plant belongs to the same family as cauliflower, collard greens, cabbage and broccoli and it comes in many different varieties.  

Q: Is kale nutritious?  

A: Yes, kale is a nutrient-dense vegetable. It is mostly high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and potassium.

Q: Kale is too tough for me to chew, what can I do about it?

A: Massaging it prior to cooking can help break down the fibers in kale which make it easier to eat and for your stomach to digest. 

Q: What are the ways to use kale?

A: Kale is great in soups, stews, salads or simply sautéed. There are also many great baking recipes out there using kale.

Kale has gained its popularity.  Many restaurants are now offering kale on their menus.  People at home are learning and experimenting about the ways to include kale in their eating. I am no exception. I used to just eat kale in salads. Knowing how nutritious kale is and there are many ways to use kale, I decided it was time for me to experiment with it and come up with recipes other than just salads. So, today, I am happy to share these recipes with you, and I hope these recipes will spark your own creativities as well. 

My crispy kale rice patty recipe is inspired by my love for Korean foods, especially a rice dish called stone bowl bibimpap. These rice patties are crispy, delicious, and are easy and fast to make within 30 minutes. Three important things for making this recipe are 1: use medium grain rice such as Calrose rice, or aka sushi rice 2: use hot rice. The heat from the rice will help the rice to stick together. The rice patty will fall apart if the rice is cold. Yes, you can use your leftover rice. Just make sure the rice is hot after you reheat it in the microwave. 3: pan fry the rice patties in a pan on the stove. Do not flip the rice patties until the bottoms are firm; otherwise, the rice patties can fall apart. You can tell if they are ready to flip by gently touching the bottom of the rice patty with a spatula. If you feel the rice is firm on the bottom, it is okay to flip it. For my stove, it usually takes about two minutes, but do use your spatula to guide you. The crispiness of these rice patties reminds me of the Korean stone bibimpap dish that I love to eat at the Korean restaurants. This recipe is versatile. Even though I used canned chicken, you can use fresh cooked chicken meat, store-bought rotisserie chicken or left-over chicken. Other proteins like eggs, fish or ground meats will work nicely as well. Serve these crispy rice patties with extra an vegetable or protein on the side.

If you want a tasty soup without lots of sodium, you will want to try this spicy tomato kale soup. It is a vegan, protein and fiber rich soup. It is also DASH friendly for people who are watching their sodium intake. This is another simple and fast recipe that you can make in 30 minutes. This is a vegan, protein and fiber rich soup. This soup is great for people who do not always want to have beans in their soups but still want the nutrients of the beans. The pureed pinto beans in this recipe are the key that makes the soup protein rich. If you do not like spicy food, just leave the red chili flakes out. The soup will still be tasty even without the spiciness. The vegetable soup stock, canned beans, and the canned tomato in this recipe are all either no added salt or salt free which allows you to control on the saltiness of the soup. Since this soup gets its flavors from other ingredients, It only needs a small amount of salt in the soup. One of the reasons that people avoid eating kale is because of its toughness. Massaging the kale before cooking is the key to soften the kale and reduce its natural bitterness. This soup recipe is definitely a way to start adding kale to your diet.

Do you like homemade biscuits but don’t have the time to make them? If so, give my bacon kale biscuits recipe a try. There is no kneading or cutting involved, and you can make them in less than 30 minutes. The texture of these biscuits is similar to drop biscuits. This recipe is versatile as well. Add any type of cheese, herbs or spices you prefer. Since turkey bacon is used instead of regular bacon and reduced fat buttermilk replaced the regular buttermilk, these biscuits are actually healthy. Because they are so simple and easy to make, you can have them for breakfast, snack or as a side dish.

I hope you will try these recipes and let me know your take on kale.

Happy Eating!