All about kale

There's a great video going around the inter-web about the benefits that healthy eating had on the MS symptoms of a physician in America. The video is quite long but absolutely worth watching!

A few of my girlfriends were wondering how to cook kale so that they could start to feed it to their families. Here are a few of my favorite kale recipes:

Baked Kale chips (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Rip into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle lightly with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if necessary. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp.check frequently to make sure they don't burn. Let cool on baking sheet.

Kale and Pancetta Frittata (a B3 original)

A frittata is an egg-based dish that is similar to an omelette or a quiche. We were first introduced to them when we travelled in Spain and loved the Spanish tortillas that were served everywhere. You can change up the ingredients as you wish but here is a basic outline.

200 grams pancetta (cheapest at Railway Deli in Canmore - even more so on 20% discount day!)

3-4 eggs, whisked together in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste

1/2 bunch kale, washed and pieces removed from the tough inner rib

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1 1/2 cups frozen hashbrowns (optional)

1 tbsp oil

1/2 onion, diced

Chop pancetta into small pieces.  Saute at medium heat in a cast iron frying pan until crispy.  Set aside to cool.  Add hashbrowns to the pan and cook for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced onion and cook for approximately 4 more minutes.  Add kale pieces and saute until wilted.  Add cooked pancetta back into the pan and pour whisked eggs over the mixture.  Cover with lid and reduce heat slightly (medium low).  Cook until most of the eggs are firm.  Remove from heat.  Add crumbled feta and turn on broiler.  Place pan under broiler until cheese is lightly browned and eggs are cooked.  Enjoy with chopped tomatoes and avocado on top!

If you are avoiding cheese or potatoes, these ingredients are totally optional.  Add as many veggies as you'd like at the kale stage.  Asparagus is especially fabulous in this dish.  

Kale, Sausage, and Chickpea Soup (adapted from Chatelaine)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 to 4 Spolumbo's Italian sausages 

900-mL carton chicken or vegetable broth or 4 cups (1 L) chicken broth

28- oz (796- mL) can plum tomatoes

19- oz (540- mL) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped kale 

1 tbsp (15 mL) each dried thyme and oregano leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

1. Prepare onion and garlic. Slice sausages into bite-size pieces and remove from their casing. Coat a large, wide saucepan with oil and set over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sausages. Stir often until sausages start to lose their pink colour, 5 min.
2. Add broth and tomatoes including juices. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, using a fork, break up tomatoes. Rinse and drain chickpeas, then stir in along with kale and seasonings. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 10 min. If soup is thicker than you like, stir in more water or chicken broth.