A Word (or Two) about Kale

Yep, you heard me, Kale.  That green, leafy vegetable tucked in the far corner of your nearest grocer's produce section (at least that's where I found it.)  And there is probably good reason for that, as it tastes about exciting as its name.  Yes it may hold wonderful nutritional value with vitamins K and C, beta carotene, lutein, and calcium just to name a few.  But it doesn't really stir up feel good, mouthwatering images, more like nightmeres of the raw food movement.  But lo, with the right amount of love and attention, kale could be your new best friend.  In the past week I've become a real sucker for kale.  Twice.  This is how it happened.

I've always loved making soup.(maybe not always, but ever since I started cooking.)  There's just something about a pot of soup on the stove that makes me feel warm and fuzzy(or maybe cozy is the right word.)  When I first started out on my own I became a big fan of Rachael Ray, and she was all about the soups and stoups and stews.    I subscribed to her magazine and waited in anticipation for the newest monthly copy to drop in my mailbox so I could flip to the nearest soup.  (She has some really great recipes.)  Once I discovered that there were other cooks out there (thanks to food network) I branched out, but I still come back to some of my favorites from Rachael Ray.  One of those is Red & Green Winter Stoup, and yes, there is kale in it.  To be honest I didn't even know what kale was when I came upon this recipe,  so as you can imagine I looked the fool in the grocery store trying to find something in which I didn't even know what it looked like.  Needless to say I found the kale and have been making this soup every winter.  (I just made it last week, thus part one of my two part kale saga.) The bulk of it is tomatoes, potatoes, and kale, and obviously kale is the real star here.  It has that slightly bitter taste like a mustard green but also a bit nutty which is nice.  It tastes good, and is good for you!  It's pretty simple and goes well with some crusty bread.  (Yeah, that is a Rachael Ray euphemism...)Here is the recipe:

Red & Green Winter Stoup
serves 4 (more like 6 in my book)

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
2 large baking potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
2 onions (quartered and thinly sliced)
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary (leaves finely chopped)
* I just threw in a little dried rosemary, either works fine
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
4 C chicken broth
1 bunch kale (stemmed and coarsely chopped)
one 28oz can crushed tomatoes
3 large roasted red peppers
*mine were from the jar, but freshly roasted is great, really ambitious!
Bread for serving (crusty)

In a medium soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add potatoes, onions, rosemary, and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, until softened 7-8 min.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, 6-8min. Add the kale in batches and cook until wilted, 1-2 min.  (or be like me and just add it all at once!)  Stir in the tomatoes.

Using a food processor, puree the roasted peppers.  (I just used my immersion blender with a chopper attachment thingy,  I love my immersion blender.....)  Stir into the soup pot, lower the heat and simmer for 10 min.  Discard the bay leaf and serve!

The green stuff is the kale.

So simple, right?  And delicious?  Of course!  And healthy?  It's all vegetables!  So if you think that is too good to be true take a look at this next kale concoction.  It all started about a week ago on Pinterest.  (For those of you who know Pinterest you know it's addicting, thus only adding to my long list of addictions,  all perfectly safe of course.)  I came across this kale-kiwi smoothie recipe on someone's food board.  A picture showed this bright, but not too bright, green drink that I have to say didn't look repulsive.  I was intrigued, and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I made it!  (Today to be precise.)  I used my immersion blender again, (man am I getting my money's worth on that thing!) but one could use a blender too.  The recipe called for ice, but I decided against it as it is winter here in the Midwest.  I was so pleasantly surprised when I took my first sip that I didn't have words.  That and there was no one else in the room to speak to.......sad really.  Anywho, it reminded me of those Naked smoothies which are 100% vegetables and fruit. (which by the way are awesome and you can buy them in the grocery store, usually near the produce section.) The greatest part about this is that it totally meets your 5 a-day requirement for fruits and veggies.  Now go eat a cookie, cause this is just too damn healthy.....Oh here is the recipe:

Kale-Kiwi Smoothie
serves 1-2

1 cup kale
1 small banana
2 kiwi
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup almond milk
handful of ice

Blend all ingredients together and serve!

Deliciousness!