Recipes

[Meowingkitty]

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@Pook wrote:

@Flatbush I saw on a tv show about kale chips so I thought I'd try it since the person who showed how to make them said they are soooo good and you won't even miss potato chips.  WRONG!!!  They were biter and awful.  Tried a little in a salad mixed with other greens and it was still awful.  My conclusion was that the only thing to do with it was to throw it out and never try it again!!!!!

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I knew someone who made these and ate to much and was in the bathroom quite a bit. She didn't realize the connection until she looked it up.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

@Pook , I, too, tried making kale chips, at the recommendation of a friend.  One time was enough.

Hooey, they'll replace potato chips!

[justashopper]

Hi @Flatbush 

I also find kale to be very bitter.  Until I learned this trick-- you have to massage the leaves.  When you do this they release their bitterness.  If you don't massage the leaves with your hands, you do with your teeth and that's why it can taste so bitter.

I buy kale in a bag (not a bunch.)  I keep it in the fridge until I am ready to use it.  Then I rinse and massage the amount I am going to use.  I have no problem eating raw kale since.  

[geezerette]

It sounds like you're eating mature kale.  It tends to be bitter, especially the stems, as has been stated.

Try baby kale.  Usually in bags or the plastic containers.  I find that like baby spinach, which it's often mixed with, raw baby kale has virtually no taste.

I use it for salads or ground up in a veggie smoothie.

[vabreeze]

@Flatbush 

I love kale-- actually I love all greens.  When using raw kale in a salad, you MUST massage it to get rid of its bitter taste.  I only buy leafy kale in as bunch.  After removing the stems/ribs from the leaves, I rub olive oil on my palms and then massage it into the kale leaves before I shred or tear them into small pieces. The massaging takes away the bitterness and softens the leaves somewhat.  When massaged, it's like eating lettuce in a salad.

The bitterness of kale in smoothies is neutralized if you an orange is added to it. Personally, I don't detect its taste at all (or the peel of the orange which I don't remove).  I must confess that the smoothies I make are jammed pack with fruits, veggies, dry oats, and muesli and they generally are all I consume throughout that particular day.

[depglass]

Kale is the only vegetable I won't eat.  I know it is just about the most nutritious thing on the market, but with so many other choices why feel guilty about ignoring it?

[River Song]

To tenderize and remove bitterness, chop kale first then soak in a bowl of warm water for at least 10 minutes.  Swish around to remove any grit, remove the kale with your hands into a colander so that any grit is left at the bottom of the bowl.  In other words, don't dump the kale and water into a colander.  Let drain and spin kale in a salad spinner.

[CAcableGirl2]

@Flatbush  I would freeze it (it will probably crumble into little bits) like spinach does and throw some in a smoothie.  It's healthy and you might as well use it instead of throwing it away. 

[wagirl]

I like kale, very finely chopped, ribs removed, in a salad with other greens--its good cooked with other greens too, but mostly, I freeze it and use it in my super green smoothies---you can't taste it at all

[qbetzforreal]

I use it in place of spinach in recipes. Scrambled eggs, smoothies, soups etc.