Saturday, March 7, 2015

Kale That Doesn't Suck



The health benefits of kale are often outweighed by the fact that it’s a chore to eat. True, it’s loaded with massive quantities of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, and is a great source of B vitamins, dietary fiber, manganese and calcium. However, it’s tough, bitter, and has a funky texture.

Forget getting your kids to eat it.

You might be able to get past the taste if you didn’t have to spend a solid 5 minutes gnawing each mouthful in order to get it down. You can make it sort of taste good if you make it into chips. So you try it once or twice and write it off as something only hippies and health nuts eat because they think they should.

Well, the reason many people think kale sucks is that they haven’t had it cooked properly. Kale needs to be boiled at least 18-20 minutes, or else it’s going to be tough and chewy (fear not—kale retains its massive vitamin and mineral content, even after boiling).

My boyfriend begs for this all the time. We only eat it 2-3 times a week because I have to cajole him into eating other vegetables.

I make it with organic ingredients and nitrate-free applewood smoked bacon.

Kale With Garlic and Bacon

You Need:
-2-3 slices of bacon, chopped
-1 bunch of kale, chopped
-2 large cloves of garlic, minced
-2 cans (4 cups) chicken broth
-1/4 c apple cider vinegar
-2-3 tbsp brown sugar
-salt/pepper to taste (optional)

Saute the bacon in a large pot until the bacon is crispy and it’s rendered most to all of its fat.
Add the kale and turn to coat with the bacon drippings, tossing frequently until the kale is wilted (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.

Stir in chicken broth (broth should just cover the leaves), vinegar, brown sugar, and salt and pepper (optional). Taste and correct the seasoning. Cover and simmer on low for 18-20 minutes, until the leaves are tender.

Drain and serve. Makes 3-4 smaller servings or 2 massive servings (we prefer the latter).

Enjoy!








Scrapality.com

14 comments:

  1. I really like kale chips. This also looks like something I would like...thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This recipe looks really good! I'm not a big kale fan but I think cooking it this way might change my mind. Pinning and thank you for sharing this at Your Turn To Shine! ~Amy

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks really good! We do kale chips most often since my daughter will actually eat those.
    Thanks for sharing on the Shine Blog Hop!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks delicious very nice, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop,

    ReplyDelete
  6. Haa haa Love the title! Thanks for sharing on the (mis)Adventures Mondays Blog Hop!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I never knew Kale had to be boiled for so long. I normally only blanch my vegetables so no wonder I why the Kale was terrible. Thanks for sharing that tip with me! Thanks also for linking up at Mum-bo Monday

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh this is so informative, I like Kelly didnt realize it need to cook so long.
    Thank you for sharing on Friday Features this past week, hope you will join us for our St Patrick's WW this week.

    Have a great week, Karren

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my…so delicious! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for being part of our party. I hope to see you on tonight at 7. Lou Lou Girls

    ReplyDelete
  10. We would just love the flavors in your Kale dish, it looks awesome! Happy St. Patrick’s Day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kale is so good for you and I just bought some to plant in the garden. I will definitely be giving this a try. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the title of your blog post. Kale is delicious! Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Hope you can make it again this week.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Definitely putting some in the garden this year....will be a first for me, wish me luck!

    Most excited to try kale chips!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have grown to love kale and when I do not buy it for a week, I actually miss it! I do enjoy kale chips too and this recipe looks super.
    twinkle at optonline dot net

    ReplyDelete