KALE

Kale: The crinkly amazing leaves....

Kale is a leafy vegetable with crinkled green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head (like cabbage). Most kale types tend to be a bit bitter in flavor, but a lot of this bitterness can be tamed by washing it well, the cooking process, or simply by using younger leaves. Kale is being called “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse”.

Popular Types of Kale

Curly Kale is probably the most recognizable kale sold in bunches at your local grocery store. It is usually bright or dark green or purple in color, has tight ruffled leaves and fibrous stalks that can be difficult to chop, but easy to tear if fresh. It has a noticeable pungent flavor with peppery and bitter qualities, so seek out younger looking leaves for less bitterness.

 

Lacinato Kale (also known as Dinosaur) is a kale variety that features dark blue-green leaves with a slightly wrinkled and firm texture. The hearty leaves of Dino Kale are tall and narrow and retains its firm texture even after it has been cooked. It has a slightly sweeter and more delicate taste than the curly kind with its flavor described as deep and earthy, but not so bitter with an almost nutty sweetness.

Red Russian Kale has flat, fringed leaves that resemble big oak leaves, large arugula leaves, or the outer leaves of a mature cabbage. Its leaves can have a red tinge and a reddish-purple tinge to the stems, and has a great flavor that is described as sweet and mild with a little bit of pepperiness. Although Red Russian Kale is one of the sweetest kales, be sure to remove as much of the stems as possible before cooking. It has incredibly tough and woody fibrous stems that are difficult to chew and swallow and could cause stomach upset.

Redbor Kale is beautiful and dark red in color that can look a deep purple, slightly resembles a tightly curled rainbow chard near the tops of its leaves. While this type of kale is edible, it also crosses over to being an ornamental plant. Redbor makes a great addition to a meal, or even as edible plate decor.

Ten great benefits of kale

Low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat: One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium as well as those listed below.

High in iron: Per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron is essential for good health, such as the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transporting oxygen to various parts of the body, cell growth, proper liver function and more.

High in Vitamin K: Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can help protect against various cancers. It is also necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal bone health and the prevention of blood clotting. Also increased levels of vitamin K can help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Filled with powerful antioxidants: Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids help protect against various cancers.

Great anti-inflammatory food: One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids, which help, fight against arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.

Great for cardiovascular support: Eating more kale can help lower cholesterol levels.

High in Vitamin A: Vitamin A is great for your vision, your skin as well as helping to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.

High in Vitamin C: This is very helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration.

High in calcium: Per calorie, kale has more calcium than milk, which aids in preventing bone loss, preventing osteoporosis and maintaining a healthy metabolism. Vitamin C is also helpful to maintain cartilage and joint flexibility

Great digestive aide: Kale is filled with fiber and sulfur, both great for detoxifying your body and keeping your liver healthy.

Ways to eat kale

Raw, in a salad - Kale doesn't need to be cooked to be enjoyed. If you slice it into very, very fine ribbons it makes a great salad. Its rough texture and slightly bitter taste are the perfect match for lemon and some sharp, salty pecorino.

Cooked and boiled - Kale is a seriously tough green, and while it can be great in raw salads, sometime we like it soft and silky. To get it like that, it's best to boil it (or braise it).

In a soup - Kale's sturdy texture makes it the perfect green to throw into a pot of soup. It doesn't fall apart into moist strings like spinach.

In pasta - Kale is great with pasta; just like in soups it doesn't wilt too much or lose its toothsome texture when cooked with pasta.

As snack chips - Yes, you can make better-than-potato-chips-snack-chips out of kale. All you do is throw it a few leaves in the oven with olive oil and salt, and bake! The result is addictively crisp and salty kale chips.