kale and eggs by Shelley Hopkins

I have found Kale to be an interesting and fun food to cook with.  Even though we never cook Kale with salt, the final product has a salty taste, and my husband especially likes that.  As I have mentioned before kale is very healthy with lots of antioxidants and vitamins, such as vitamin A, C, E, K as well as calcium, magnesium, B6, potassium, iron, and those helpful omega 3 fatty acids.  Omega 3’s have excellent anti-inflammatory benefits, and may help with depression.

I tried a few recipes that I didn’t like, but mostly I have enjoyed the foods I have cooked.  The way to know which recipe is my favorite is to simply see which of the recipes I seem to come back to, to cook over and over and more importantly to cook for other people.  My parents came to visit, and my meat grilling dad tasted the recipe that has become my favorite, Braised Kale on Toast.  He like it, so I would say that is a good sign.  This is so easy to cook, and fits in as simple but good food.

Heat 3 Tbs oil in a large pan on medium heat.  Add chopped onion and cook till softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add kale, minced garlic and 1/8^th tsp chili flakes.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes.  Add 3 cups vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook until kale is tender, about 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and I would taste first.

Make toast out of a thick bread, sourdough is great.  Rub toast with halved garlic clove.  (I just make garlic toast with butter and garlic salt).  Divide toast into 4 wide soup bowls.

Heat remaining 2 Tbs oil to large, non-stick pan.  Gently add eggs and fry to preferred level of doneness.  Or poach eggs in broth for about 3-4 minutes.

Serve by spooning some of the kale and broth over the toast, then top with the egg.

My husband likes to stir fry kale with chopped meat, onions and garlic.  The most important thing to remember with kale is to remove the stalks.  Kale is good to add to soups, stews, stir-frys, salads and casseroles.  We have added it to salads, but this is not our favorite way to eat it, we both like it better cooked.  Kale chips are interesting, slice kale into bites sized pieces, toss with olive oil and salt and bake for 10-15 minutes in the oven and 350.  I tried this, mixing lemon juice and oil.  The kale took forever to become dry, at first I was baking a mushy wet mess.  Once dry though, it tasted good.  Kale chips were good mixed into salads.  After a day they no longer were crisp, but were still full of flavor. 

Maybe it is time to expand your cooking to include kale.  If you have other recipes or ways of using it, please feel free to share here.

Enjoy!