Kale is one of the most commonly found veggies in CSA boxes this time of year! Many of you have been asking us what to do with all this dark green abundance. Since many of our Farm-to-School CSA Box farmers, including Waipa and Moloa‘a Organica‘a, often have this leafy lovely topping off their bags, we thought we’d provide this round-up of some of our favorite things to do with kale.
- Kale Salad – Classic and fresh, massaging your kale to make it softer is an important step for turning it into a salad. Kale Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing, Kale Slaw, or Kale Salad with Root Vegetables and Apple are good options, as is this quick and easy recipe from our friend Anais:
“Salt, apple cider vinegar, pepper, some kind of salad oil, chop up kale, shred green papaya and shred carrots… beets can also be shredded. and lemon or lime … seeds can be added, I like pumpkin. it’s best if it can sit in the fridge for a day and be served the next.”
- Kale Smoothies – We find the trick is blending the kale first with liquid before adding other ingredients so it’s finely blended, and adding something sweet to balance out kale’s earthiness. Some good combos – Green Machine Smoothie, Pineapple Banana Kale, Blueberry Kale, and Kiwi and Kale.
- Kale Chips – Crunchy, salty, and fairly good for you – give it a shot with these Sriracha Lime Kale Chips, Spicy Chipotle Kale Chips, Smoked BBQ Kale Crisps, Cheesy Kale Chips, or go classic with Seal Salt & Garlic Kale Chips.
- Kale Pesto – A basic Kale Pesto is great hot or cold on potatoes, mixed roasted vegetables, pasta, sandwiches, or used as a dip. You can even amp it up a little and try Kale Chimmichuri or add in other veg “scraps” like carrot or beet tops.
- Kale & Meat Sautee – When we asked what our friends’ favorite kale recipes were, simple meat sautes came to the top – like a basic tried-and-true Kalua Pig & Kale or Corned Beef & Kale mix. It makes a great cabbage replacement in general!
- Kale Stir Fries & Sautees – You can go a billion ways with this. The kale purists love their tried-and-true sauteed kale with a bit of garlic, lemon, tahini, or sesame oil/seeds. The more adventurous ideas included this Catalonian Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts (Thanks Doug from Kalaheo!) and a Spicy Kale & Coconut Fried Rice.
- Kale Soups & Stews – Our Food Access Coordinator Joell loves dropping some thinly sliced kale in her saimin, but there’s a zillion ways to sneak (or highlight) kale in soups and stews of all types. Try Shana’s favorite – Kale & White Bean Soup with Sausage, or give this Kabocha, Kale & Roasted Garlic Soup a shot.
- Kale Pasta – Aside from using kale pesto on pasta, there are numerous ways to incorporate it into a variety of pasta dishes, like Kale Spinach & Goat Cheese Pasta (great to utilize your Kunana Dairy cheese!), Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & Ricotta, Pasta with Caramelized Sweet Potatoes and Kale, or this Killer Kale Pasta.
- Kale & Eggs – Yes, kale for breakfast! You can saute kale and scramble it up with some eggs or put inside a breakfast burrito, or even on top off toast with kale and a poached egg. You can get fancier with a Farm Frittata, Spicy Simmered Eggs with Kale, Baked Eggs With Kale, Bacon and Cornbread Crumbs, or Kale Egg in a Hole.
- Kale Dips & Spreads – There’s something addictive about smearing a spread on crusty bread or crackers, or having something new to dip veggies into. We’ve rounded up plenty to try: Green Spread, Warm Kale & White Bean Dip, Garlicky Kale and Creamy Avocado Dip, Warm Caramelized Onion & Kale Dip, Kale Hummus, & Feta & Kale Dip.
We hope this blog helps you find fun and new ways to enjoy your greens. If you have a favorite kale recipe, or want to let us know what you did with your local kale, please share it below!