I have been meaning to write a post about kale for a while.
As 2013 began, I had a few friends inquire how best to eat kale. Be it resolved to eat more kale? It may be many moons later, but there is no better time than to eat more greens than yesterday. Or if you need a greener boost, how about upcoming St Paddy’s Day? 😉
I have talked about vegetable ratings before (Nutrition Action’s winner of the veggies is kale followed by other leafy veggies) but Dr Fuhrman’s ANDI (aggregate nutrient density index) score is probably more widely disseminated. Whole Foods has started to rate its produce by publicizing ANDI scores. While not a perfect system at all, it prioritizes nutrients per caloric cost. I agree with Anthony’s musings on the ANDI scores which suggests this may confuse people. Focus on whole foods, primarily vegetables and legumes with occasional fruits, grains, nuts and seeds. Why battle it out between greens, when one should try to rotate through them all? Kale, yes, but also Swiss chard, spinach and collards. Throw in Romaine lettuce and mixed baby mesclun greens. Go Asian with baby bok choy or another Asian green. Try out chicory to see if you like it more than me. 😉
I had elaborate plans to create a green eating guide, but as I waited, procrastinated, let life happen, others posted great greenery cooking summaries. Lindsay recently posted videos on how to strip and cook kale. I also found this nice guide from Epicurious. I will not reinvent the wheel but I will continue to share my green eats.
As I told my friends, be persistent. You may not like all greenery preparations right away. Instead of a raw kale salad, try kale chips. Add kale to your soups or stir fries, instead. Or hideblend it into a smoothie or baked good. Slowly integrate them into your diet until you find something you like.
Here is a lengthy list of ideas for numerous greens. Raw, cooked, I’ve got you covered for your greens. Once I started, I just couldn’t keep away any of my favourites. I even limited myself to leafy greens. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are for another list.
Salads:
Raw Kale and Beet Salad with Raisins and Almonds
Creamy Raw Kale Salad with Avocado, Apple and Beet
Almost Raw Asian Kale and Edamame Salad
Garlic-Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Pomegranate
Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with a Balsamic Tahini Dressing
Garlicky and Lemony Black-Eyed Pea and Kale Salad
Spinach Salad with Carrot Ginger Miso Dressing and Pepitas
Warm Mediterranean Chickpea and Spinach Salad
Soups, Stews and Curries:
Smoky Black Eyed Pea and Kale Stew
White Bean, Quinoa And Kale Stew with Fennel
Brazilian Black Bean and Vegetable Stew
15-Minute White Bean and Kale Soup
Italian Stew with Winter Squash and Chickpeas
Brazilian Potato-Kale Soup with Sizzling Chorizo (Caldo Verde)
Vanilla Sweet Potato and Kale Curry
Celeriac and Pumpkin Curry with Spinach
African Pineapple Kale Peanut Stew
Cranberry Bean Mole with Roasted Butternut Squash
Ethiopian Split Pea and Kabocha Squash Stew with Collards
Jamaican Tofu Chowder with Collards
Red Lentil and Spinach Curry (Vegan Tikka Masala)
Indian Lentils with Spinach (Dal Palak)
Cauliflower, Spinach and Chickpea Balti
Fragrant Lentil Rice Soup with Spinach and Caramelized Onions (aka Dal Bhat Meets Mujaddara)
Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Lime
Red Lentil, Spinach, and Lemon Soup
Japanese Winter Stew with Spinach
Stirfries, Skillets and Pastas:
Creamy Cashew Kale and Chickpeas
Spanish Chickpeas and Spinach with Roasted Garlic
High-Protein Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
Warm Lentil, Bulgur and Vegetable Skillet with a Lemon-Tahini Sauce
Asparagus, Watercress and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce
Chinese Five Spice Vegetable and Noodle Stir Fry
Pizza topping (kale chips!):
Roasted Vegetable and Kale Chip Pizza with a White Bean and Quinoa Crust
Bowls:
Millet Bowl with Rosemary Mushroom Gravy and Kale
Smoky One Pot Beans and Bulgur with Kale
Bulgur Pilaf Salad with Pomegranate, Dried Apricots, Pistachios and Swiss Chard
Tofu with a Zesty Rhubarb Sauce and Garlicky Kale
Millet Bowl with Spinach, Leek and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Peruvian Mayocoba Bean Bowl with a Roasted Pepper Sauce and Fried Plantains
White Bean and Barley Salad with a Tomato-Pomegranate-Tarragon Sauce
As a side:
Spicy Coconut-Braised Collards
Bengali Quinoa Bowl with Spinach and Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak)
Greek Stewed Swiss Chard With Tomatoes, Mint and Lima Beans
Spreads/Dips:
Hazelnut-Roasted Delicata Squash with Hazelnut-Sage Pesto
Hidden/Integrated:
Inside a wrap with peanut dressing
Mediterranean Crustless Chickpea Flour Quiche
Savoury Indian Chickpea Pancakes (Besan Chilla)
As a wrap:
Raw Burrito (Collard Wrap filled with Jicama, Sprouts and a Nacho Cashew Spread)
Lime-Spiked Black Bean and Quinoa Kale Wrap
Oyster Mushroom and Black Bean Tacos with Sweet Mango Salsa
Hazelnut Roasted Kabocha Squash, Cucumber and Avocado Collard Wrap
Mediterranean Collard Wrap with Hummus, Artichoke Hearts and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Thai Shiitake-Basil Spring Rolls with Creamy Thai Cilantro Ginger Sauce
Sushi Roll Edamame Collard Wrap with Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette
Grilled Chili-Lime Vegetable Lentil Fajitas in a Collard Wrap
Indian Chickpea and Collard Roulade with a Tomato-Mustard Sauce
Artichoke and Spinach Rice Paper Rolls with Lemon Rosemary Baked Tofu
Plain Kale Chips (with a video)
Kale Granola (or Raw Coconut Almond Kale Chips)
Drinks:
The options with greens are endless. I continually find new recipes and new favourites.
Case in point: this Indian-spiced Chickpeas and Kale. Not authentic Indian but authentically good. Cumin, cardamom and ginger augment garam masala to create a quick dish with chickpeas and kale. A touch of tahini adds a hit of creaminess that transcends its small amount. The greens are wilted in a stir fry but fully flavoured and juicy. Paired with chickpeas, this makes a complete meal.
What is your favourite way to eat greens?
This is my submission to to this week’s Weekend Wellness and to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Brii.
Indian-Spiced Chickpeas and Kale
Adapted, barely, from Fat Free Vegan
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup tomato, chopped (100g, I used cherry tomatoes)
6 cups kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped (3 oz prepped)
1/2 cup broth, divided (I used the broth from the chickpeas)
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp Aleppo chile flakes. or to taste
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 tsp tahini
1. In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions. Sprinkle with salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until they brown. Add ginger, garlic and cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds are fragrant, around 2 minutes. Add tomato and deglaze with any juices. Cook another 2 minutes.
2. Deglaze with a further 1/4 cup of broth and stir int he kale. Cover. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir and cook until kale is bright green.
3. Stir in the remaining broth, cooked chickpeas, ground cumin, cardamom and chile flakes. Stir until well combined. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes.
4. Make a well in the middle of the pan and add the garam masala and tahini. Stir until well combined and can be tossed with the remainder of the ingredients. Combine so that the kale is well covered with the tahini.
Serves 2.
Lovely, simple recipe and terrific round-up as well. Thanks!
I am always asked for kale suggestions and I almost find it hard to answer because I pretty much put it in everything! Love this roundup…I’m definitely passing it along to others next time I’m asked!
I use spinach as a pizza topping. I make a curried lentil and kale soup. What a list of recipes of recipes for greens. The Chinese 5 Spice Veg and Noodle Stir Fry caught my eye but unfortunately the link goes to another recipe.
I’ve never thought of spinach as a pizza topping – what a great idea!
Sorry about the link misdirect. I will fix that up. I have two versions of the recipe because I liked it so much:
https://tastespace.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/chinese-five-spice-vegetable-and-noodle-stir-fry/
and
https://tastespace.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/chinese-five-spice-vegetable-and-noodle-stir-fry-take-2/
Many pizza restaurants in my area (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) use spinach as a topping so I can’t claim credit. With the popularity of kale chips, at least in the blogosphere, kale would probably be good as well. Thanks for the links. Janet.
I have no idea how people find my pins so quickly but someone has already pinned your post on greens. I’m guessing the 5-spice recipe with links will also get picked up quickly.
I’ve seen arugula so greenery on pizza is not new… but Windsor has great restos. I remember going to an Italian resto in Windsor that had the best gnocchi ever. It was stuffed with more cheese! (obviously in my pre-vegan days).. sadly, it closed down the last time I went. Thanks for sharing my posts. If you try any of the recipes, please let me know how it goes. 🙂
Wowza! What a great resource for kale recipes!!! I’m gonna pin this right now!
I am so much with the lovin’ right now. So much goodness.
(P.S. The green soup with ginger link is wrong.)
Thanks! I’ve updated the link with this url: https://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/green-soup-with-ginger/
I have bookmarked the entire page and now I need to decide where to begin from. I would love this healthy dish for my event @ my blog. Please do send it.
Excellent post! Care to be blogging buddies? Can I link you over at http://myblissfuljourney.com
Get your greens on!
Thanks! Definitely feel free to link to my blog. 🙂
This post is a great resource! I’ll bookmark it! I can’t believe this but I’ve never cooked with kale so I really want to try the chickpea and kale recipe at the top of this post. It looks delicious. I love greens in many forms. Can’y decide which is my favorite.
Thanks! 🙂
It took me awhile to cook with kale, too. I started with raw kale salads and stayed there since I them them so much. Of course, most people work the other way, from cooked kale to raw kale. 😉
[…] Janet from the Taste space, who lives in Toronto She sends us a spicy dish Indian-Spiced Chickpeas and Kale […]
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Wow – what an amazing list! I especially love all the Indian flavors – Tikka Masala? YUM!
chickpeas + kale = heaven!
[…] salad off the top of my head. I don’t like chickpeas with vinaigrettes, preferring them pan-roasted or smothered in thick sauces. However, as soon as we tasted this salad, both Rob and I […]
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wow! thanks for such a good list! I have kale and collards in my fridge right now that need to be used and now have so many choices. This page is definitely getting bookmarked!
Glad to help. Greens are so versatile, there are endless possibilities. 🙂
[…] are flavourful, delicious, and healthy – what more could you want? I highly recommend her Indian-Spiced Chickpeas and Kale, Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran, Curried Beans and Quinoa with Baby Bok Choy, Iraqi Eggplant and […]
Thank-you so much for compiling this awesome list! I’m eating the indian spiced chick peas and kale right now over sweet shortgrain rice, and it is amazing! I didn’t have the cumin seeds or the cardamom, and threw together a homemade garam masala, and it still turned out so good! Can’t wait to try more of these recipes. 🙂
Lovely variation, Emily. I love how forgiving curries can be. Thank you for leaving your feedback 🙂
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