October 5th is National Kale Day.
Kale–you either love it or hate it. Those who love it rave about the superfood’s high iron count (per calorie, it has more iron than beef), the high fiber (5 grams a cup!), and the powerful antioxidants in it that can protect against cancers and signs of aging, among many other benefits.
Dumped into smoothies, baked, fried, ordered in their salads at Foodstuffs; the leafy green has been a staple of a healthy diet for years.
On the other hand, those who hate the vegetable complain of the intense bitter and earthy taste, and are revolted at the thought of ruining a perfectly good smoothie with the sour green.
Like it or not, on National Kale Day, why not give kale a shot? Here are some tasty recipes including kale that does not necessarily include just raw kale in a salad.
Kale recipes for those who like it (and for those who don’t as much):
- This kale-pineapple smoothie is a delicious morning energy-booster, and best of all, the honey, peanut butter, and pineapple cut the bitterness of the kale. Keep the nutritional goodness, cut the sourness!
- Kale chips are easier made than it seems: cut up the leaves, lay them out on a sheet, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some salt, and bake them. Voila!
- You can never go wrong with soup: the kale, if finely chopped and well cooked in the soup, does not retain as much of the bitterness, and helps create warm, hearty soup that is perfect for a brisk fall night. Try this potato kale soup, or sausage, kale, and white bean soup.
- Switch things up with a kale stir-fry! Try this particularly tasty butternut squash and kale stir fry, Asian chicken kale stir fry, or this spicy kale and coconut stir fry.
