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Dani Spies is a Certified Health and Nutrition Counselor, Fitness Trainer and Mom who is passionate about finding simple ways to make real, whole, nutrtious foods a part of an everyday kitchen. More about Dani »

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Kale "101" - Video

I decide that Kale would be the perfect "Food Focus" ingredient this month.  I figure why not kick off the New Year with the one ingredient that is missing in most American diets... Dark Leafy Greens!

In this video I go over some of the benefits of kale as well as how to select, store, and prep it.

I'll be highlighting Kale all month, so if you guys have any ideas, tips, recipes, etc. that have to do with this glorious green, I'd love to hear about them!!

Be sure to check out all of the different ways to incorporate Kale into your kitchen by trying some of the recipes higlighted in "Food Focus". You'll notice some of the original recipes use a leafy green other than Kale, but I included them anyway because Kale could easily be subbed in any of the dishes.

If you want to read a little extra info on Kale, be sure to check out "Why Kale?" under "Food for Thought".

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!!

Comments

lisa :

Hi Dani,
I found this video to be soooo helpful and informative. Wow, I am actually excited to try some Kale!!!
Thanks!

Lisa- I'm so happy to hear it!! I can't wait to hear what kind of "kale" recipes you come up with.

Emile :

I'm dutch and everyone here eats this mixed with stamped potatoes. It's a common typical traditional dish which is especially eaten in The Netherlands during winters.

It seems the name Borecole (the other name for kale) comes from the dutch word 'Boerenkool' (that's how we call it :p). It's a wild cabbage and probably it is rarely to find outside of The Netherlands. So when you lay your hands on it. Make a nice dish of it. Below you find an easy recipe for this . I translated it myself, since I could not find any good english written recipe of it.

Good to know is: For the dutch there is no borecole dish without the VERY IMPORTANT sausage. The sausage served with the dish is a typical dutch one. Read here more about it, and maybe you find yourself one which comes close to this one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rookworst

Most people also add a sause to the dish called 'smeltjus'. It's a salty sause that is solid which you have to melt. But I did not find it outside of The Netherlands. So maybe best to prepare an own sause you think would be best with a mashed potatoes dish.

The traditional dutch recipe for a 4 person's dish.

You'll need
1 kilogram of potatoes
1 kilogram of borecole/kale
10 mililiter milk
salt
nutmeg powder

What to do?
1. Tear the leafs of the stem.
2. Wash the leafs, and cut them in to fine pieces. Add a little salt while cooking. (be aware not to cook them too far. The leafs should be a little raw - a little less cooked as you would normally do) (if you have frozen borecole, cook it directly when frozen. Do not unfreeze it first!)

3. peel, wash and cook the potatoes

4. steam the sausages

5. throw away the water of the borecole and the potatoes

6. mash the potatoes, with the borecole and the milk. (when needed you can heat it a little and add some nutmeg powder for taste

7. place the sausages on top of the mashed dish. Perhaps you cut it into slices layered in the original form of the sausage.

And you're done. Hope you'll enjoy :)

* Variations you can do with this dish are:
- use butter instead of milk
- add vinegar when you add the butter
- you can use the water of the borecale and add this back into the dish while mashing.
- add pepper
- add cubics of bacon
- eat it with piccalilly or mustard.

btw. If you really want to eat the dish the Dutch-way, you make a hole in the dish after it's served on a plate. In the centered hole you put the sause. That's a classic :)

Emile - Thanks for sharing...I just learned A LOT more about kale:)

Hi Dani,

Kale was one of those mystery ingredients for me before I started learning how to cook, but I really love it now. I actually just posted a recipe review this week for Portuguse Chourico and Kale Soup. The blogosphere is a small world....

PS - Thanks to Kari of Antciplate, who told me about your Kale-themed month when she saw my post!

Hi Madeline - Thanks for the recipes...it sounds deeelicious!!
I'll have to give it try:).
And thanks to Kari for sharing the love!

Ravi :

Dani, you mentioned kale chips in the video, is that recipe up? I eat a lot of potato chips but these sound like a healthier option that will still satisfy the snacking urge.

reyna :

Dani, I'm ready to eat some kale, I always wonder if they were eatable or just for decoration.
Thank you!
Reyna*

Ravi - It's not...I have got to get on that!!

Reyna - It's edible AND it's delicious!! I hope you enjoy it:)

Stacy :

Dani, I tried them and LOVED them! I wonder if Mustard Greens would be good to use as chips?? I'm growing them and wonder what I can do with it! : )

Ren :

Thanks to your video, I am addicted to these chips!!
Do you know if there are any other "greens" that this recipe works with? Thanks!

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