Kale Recipe Round-Up

We have a lot of kale in our garden right now. We could eat kale every day and not exhaust the supply. Come to think of it, I think I have been eating kale every day, since it's in so many of our favorite recipes. When I canned spaghetti sauce this summer, I used kale instead of spinach. When I made a big pot of bean & sausage soup (which I've had in my lunch three times this week), I added chopped kale.

I thought I'd share a few of our favorite kale recipes for those who say "I've seen kale in the produce aisle, but I wouldn't know what to do with it!"

Our favorite:
Kale Chips
If you Google "Kale Chips Recipe", you can find thousands of recipes... using various spices and combinations of oil and lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar. I usually mix 2 Tablespoons of oil with a Tablespoon of lemon juice, mix it with a bowlful of kale, spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes (anywhere from 350 to 400 degrees, depending on what's already in the oven).

I remember the first time my daughter Connie tried them. She said "These are delicious. They are so weird... but delicious!"

Sauteed Kale
We love this recipe for Sauteed Kale from Bobby Flay. It calls for sauteing some garlic... I also add some sliced onion when I'm cooking up the garlic. 

Sometimes when we want a little variety, we use this recipe for Sweet and Savory Kale.

Kale Salad
The great thing about this Super Summer Kale Salad is that you can make it up hours before. I tend to decrease the sugar in the recipe, using 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup. You can add or subtract ingredients to suit your taste. I leave out the Edamame, but have added shrimp or diced chicken breast to make it a meal salad.

Kale and Potato Hash
My family likes this side dish, too: Kale and Potato Hash. I tend to cut back a bit on the horseradish, though, using "horseradish sauce" and only about half of what they suggest. I also use a plain onion instead of shallot.

Toss some kale in there... 
If you toss a few kale leaves into the blender and chop them up fine, you can sneak some kale into just about anything...
Omelet
Spaghetti Sauce
Calzone filling
Pizza
Chicken Pot Pie
Vegetable Soup
Smoothie

Now I want to make some kale chips with dinner!

Update: Apparently October 2nd is National Kale Day. This recipe showed up on my Facebook page - Tomato-Kale-Basil Quiche. I substituted a teaspoon of dried oregano for the basil, and we all liked it! Definitely going in the "make again" folder!