Kale

Green Smoothie

Submitted by Marie Dang, Health and Human Services

2 cups kale, tough stems removed
2 small bananas
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen pineapple
Honey to sweeten (I use local honey)
Water - enough to just about cover everything

Put items in order listed into blender (I use VitaMix blender as the power is amazing to make everything smooth). Turn on blender and increase to high, blend for about 30 seconds or to consistency of your liking.

This makes 2 big (about 24 oz each) servings for my 15 year old son and myself.

Kale Pesto

Submitted by Marie Dang, Health and Human Services

4-6 cups kale, tough stems removed and chopped or torn
2 cloves garlic, peeled (remove center if green)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for a minute or two. Pesto will have a slighlty chunky texture.

Can drizzle some more olive oil on top and freeze if not using all right away.

Kale, Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

Submitted by Marie Dang, Health and Human Services

1 T. olive oil
1 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced dried fennel
2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 lb. ground pork
1 large sweet potato, diced
4-6 cups chopped/torn kale, tough stems removed
6-8 cups water

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat large pot over medium heat. Heat olive oil for a minute or two. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft. Add ground pork, sweet potato and seasonings. Cook and stir mixture until pork is cooked. Add water and turn up heat to bring to a boil. When boiling, add kale. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking until kale is cooked/wilted and sweet potatoes are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Cheesy Kale Chips

Submitted by Gayle Reid, Health and Human Services

Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth:

1 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 1/3 cup water
3-4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. tahini
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 bunches of kale

Wash kale and spin dry. Break kale from the spine and then tear into moderate size pieces (2-3 inches across). Place in a large bowl. Pour sauce over the kale and knead into kale for a few minutes. This helps to tenderize the kale and distribute the sauce. Best if you an dehydrate at a lowest oven temp for 8-10 hours. If in a hurry you can crank it up to 325 and it will be done in about 20 - 30 minutes Just keep an eye on it because when it's done, it's done! Remove when crisp. Now you too can enjoy kale.