Today is National Kale Day!
I think it’s pretty obviously what a rockstar vegetable kale is. But here are some of its claims to fame from the World’s Healthiest Foods website:
-Scientists have named over 45 different flavonoids in kale. That’s one packed leaf! These provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to keep the body in tip-top shape.
-In recent research, scientists have found that nutrients called glucosinolates are converted in the body once kale is digested and then help to fight cancer.
-1 cup of cooked kale is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals: vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. Kale contains nearly twice the amount of vitamin K as most of its fellow cruciferous vegetables with 1,327% of your daily value! Its nutrients don’t stop there though – it’s also packed with copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6, potassium, iron, omega-3s protein and fiber. It’s also extremely low in calories.
-Kale is on the fringe of the dirty dozen, so it’s best to buy organic or plant your own! We have found it’s really easy to grow. {Read more in our garden updates here!}
Here is a link to some fun kale trivia. You know, great content for cocktail party talk!
“Did you know that after a frost, kale becomes sweeter?”
“Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was a kale fanatic?!”
Team Kale has a great cooking guide to kale here.
My three favorite ways to eat kale are as chips, sautéed and massaged.
-As chips, baked kale gets crunchy, light and airy and you can dunk it into ketchup like fries or season it with flavors like nutritional yeast or smoked paprika.
Here is my kale chip video:
-When sautéing kale I fill a big soup pot with all the kale that will fit along with about 1/4 cup of water. When most of the kale has wilted down, I add flavors like olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or a drizzle of maple syrup!
-Finally massaged kale salads are a staple of ours all summer. Clean and trim your kale and then put it in a bowl along with a generous tablespoon of olive oil, an acid like lemon juice and salt. Massage with your hands until the kale leaves are tender enough to eat.
More Recipes
Here are some of my favorite ways to cook kale.
Pumpkin Goat Cheese Kale Lasagna
Lynsie’s White Bean and Greens Soup
Butternut Squash and Kale Soup {and oldie but goodie!}
Nutty Vanilla Sweet Potato + Kale Soup
And of course kale CHIPS!
And another variation…cheesy kale chips
And don’t forget the kale smoothie! Unlike spinach, you can taste the kale a bit, but that’s not a reason not to try it out.
Kale, milk, berries, banana
I’m thinking about adding this to my Christmas list: 50 Shades Of Kale 
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
I LOVE kale as well, so many different ways to prepare it and it has a delicious flavor. That kale onesie is pretty precious- I hope Mazen loves it as much as you do! I definitely need to try out some of your soup recipes, like the squash and kale one. Sounds great!
Tara says
Thanks for all the facts! I recently started eating kale in my salad, but now I think I’d like to try cooking it! 🙂
Olivia at ohmy Olivia says
I’ve recently become SUCH a fan of kale! It’s really versatile and tasty too! xo
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Oh how I wished the Mr and I liked kale. We’ve tried it and just can’t jump on the bandwagon. I’m thinking soup may be our only hope at this point so I might give that a go before declaring it a complete no go. The White Bean and Greens soup is looking pretty promising!
Ella P says
Kale-cious post! I love it 🙂
Thanks,
Ella
Lauren @ Focused To Be Fit says
I love kale chips so much and always forget about them come meal prep time. I need to make a reminder! They’re the best!
Megan (The Lyons' Share) says
I love my kale and will definitely be celebrating today! I already told my mom about the “KALE” t-shirt I saw at Whole Foods (looks like “YALE”), and it’s definitely on my Christmas list, so maybe I should add the 50 Shades, too! 🙂 Thanks for linking up all your delicious recipes.
Erin @ An Inside Job says
Thanks for the post! I did one about national kale day today too! I like all the recipes that you have posted because I have only used kale in my daily smoothies and am not entirely sure what to do with it besides that.
I linked this post in mine so that I could offer people some other ideas of what they could do with this wonderful leaf. Thanks again!
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
I took me a while to get on the kale bandwagon, but now I’m obsessed. My favorite way to eat it is sauteed with garlic. MMMMMMM :). Happy National Kale Day!
Lauren @ The Highlands Life says
I’m planning on hitting up Whole Foods today for some kale. Ours is having a 5 for $5 kale special! Yeah buddy. Time to stock on up.
Tonya says
I eat raw kale just about every day. If I’m at Whole Foods early in the morning, I will totally bypass the hot breakfast food and eat a plate of their Really Garlicky Raw Kale instead! I learned how to make their kale dressing from scratch-AB.SO.LUTE. AWESOMENESS!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
Ha, I LOVE that there is a national kale day! It deserves it, I love kale, especially sauteed or as kale chips!
Brynn says
Veganomicon has sweet potato and kale enchiladas that are amaaaaazing! Kind of a pain to make but so worth it.
Jesse says
oh those smokey maple kale lentils sound perfect for fall! sign me up!
http://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-baby-cold.html
Robyn says
I’ve more recently jumped on the kale bandwagon. But now that I have, I love it!! I think we’ll have a big kale salad with dinner tonight 🙂
Renee King says
Kath that video was super cute and informative. I have never tried Kale, but have been wanting too. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Kaila @healthyhelperblog! says
Kale is one of my favorite greens for sure! So delicious! Love how nutrient dense it is and how it maintains a slight crunch to it when sauteed!
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
Great post! Jam packed with kale ideas — love it!
Becki @ Bites 'n Brews says
Pumpkin goat cheese kale lasagna – definitely making that for dinner tomorrey!
Sarah says
Kale mania! Love it. Definitely a great veggie.
Shel@PeachyPalate says
The kale soup sounds great with the nuts and vanilla…yum!!!
Tiffany says
Kath, Trader joes had pumpkin body butter (thick lotion for hands)! Totally thought of you when I saw it 🙂
By the way, how is Karen? Sending you all my love and positive thoughts.
KathEats says
Good enough to eat! She is doing well. We were over for dinner tonight. She says hello
Elisabeth says
So glad to hear she’s doing pretty well!
Tonya says
Karen. Glad you’re doing well! <3 <3 <3
Katie says
Kale is such a super star!
I was afraid to try it for the longest time just because I didn’t know how to cook it (and definitely didn’t grow up eating it!).
Btw, I learned how to make kale chips from you many years ago 🙂
Livi says
yum! kale just satueed in the pan with some spice is a fave of mine!
Kelly @ Kelly Runs for Food says
Oh thank you for these recipes! I just had some of my co-worker’s kale chips today and I think I need to make my own. My favorite thing to make with kale is a brothy soup with white beans, kale, and turkey sausage. So good!
Maria says
I don’t like to put my hands in the food, so I tried a way to “massage” it with a kitchen tool.
First I remove the center and cut the leaves into bite size pieces.
Instead of massaging the kale, I mix it with the ingredients you suggest (oil and acid), and pound it with the potato masher. Works great, and no hands in the food.
It also seems to work to steam, covered, for just 20 seconds or so, then add the dressing. Either way, I like to let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving.
I don’t want to kill any vitamins by steaming, but the time is so brief that I thought it would be ok.
What do you think?
Brynn says
Creamed kale is one of my absolute favorites. I wash & slice it up pretty thinly. I sautee sliced shallots & some garlic in olive oil. Add kale when the shallots are getting a little brown and sautee until it’s wilted. Then add a can of coconut milk and sautee until it reduces into thick creamy deliciousness. Season with salt & pepper and you’re good to go. Total comfort food.
KathEats says
Love this idea with coconut milk!
Amelia says
I saw a sign in Whole Foods this morning that said Today is National Kale Day and it made me think of you 🙂
Jordan says
Awesome post, Kath!
Justeen says
I’ve been making your nutty vanilla sweet potato kale soup for ages! It’s one of my favorites 🙂 And I tried kale chips for the first time after watching your video a couple of years ago. You have officially turned me into a kale lover!
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
What a coincidence that today is National Kale Day because I woke up thinking that’s I’m going to prepare a new recipe for lunch…Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Kale and Sweet Potatoes! These ALL look delicious!!!!
Katherine says
yay! for kale = )
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com
John Riley says
Kalicious piece of work 😉 Really loved it. I am also trying to eat healthy but as a bachelor I have to eat at restaurants. I use to go to McDonalds and other fast food chains but recently switched to healthier replacements. I found this article very helpful in doing so.
http://goo.gl/1Ds6tT
Very interesting piece indeed. Cheers 😀
Anna @ Fitness à la Anna says
An awesome list of recipes, thanks for sharing! My fav is a kale salad straight-up or kale chips 🙂
Lindsey @ The Next Course says
The lasagna, lentil salad, and sweet potato soup are calling my name! Thanks for sharing these awesome factoids and recipes 🙂
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
Your video must have been really convincing because I’ve been meaning to make kale chips for over a year!!! I finally bit the bullet and I now know what all the hype is about! I garnished mine with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh dill and baked them at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes….delicious!!!
Alison Bowling says
Where I’m from Kale isn’t available really, so I have no idea what it’s like. Is it anything like spinach?
KathEats says
Yes but it’s tougher and has a stronger flavor. More like collard greens
Melissa says
LOVE the butternut squash and kale soup! Discovered it maybe two years ago and it’s a staple in our house. We like to make one small tweak – just add a little bbq pulled pork. It’s like fall in a bowl! We had pork last night so guess what we’re having tonight… 🙂
Neil Butterfield says
Wow! I did not know that Kale is so healthy, better get me some!