Hurray for kale!

Who doesn't love kale?! We love it, and this probably won't be the last time I extol its virtues. Before we moved across campus on Monday, my fridge was overflowing with kale. We had to use it before we moved. I want to share our two favorite recipes: marinated kale salad and kale chips.

Marinated kale salad:
1. Rinse a bunch of kale and pat it dry. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces over a bowl with a lid.
2. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the leaves. Sprinkle with salt (sea salt tastes best) and pepper to taste.
3. Add a teaspoon or two of sweetener: agave or maple syrup tastes delicious.
4. Throw in a handful of raisins.
5. Toss the ingredients together with forks or your hands.
6. Taste to decide if you like the flavor. Often I will have to add more vinegar, salt, or pepper based on taste.
7. Put the lid on and let it marinate in the fridge overnight and eat for lunch or dinner the next day. You can also leave it on the counter for an hour or two and serve it after tossing a couple more times.

Kale chips:
1. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
2. Rinse a bunch of kale and pat it dry. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces over a bowl.
3. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the kale.
4. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
5. Toss the kale with your hands making sure the oil gets all over the surfaces of the kale pieces.
6. Lay the pieces of kale out onto baking sheet (you may need two sheets or you can eat the raw kale leftovers as is).
7. Bake for about 8 minutes or until crisp but not burned.

From now on when anyone tells me they don't like kale, I am going to suggest they try these two recipes and get back to me.

*Kale tidbit: Plant your own--it's perfect in a vegetable garden and is a beautiful addition to a flower garden. If you keep harvesting leaves from the outside of the plant, it will keep growing for a long time!