Thursday, July 19, 2012

How to use up 2 lbs. of kale

Two weekends ago, JP was in charge of grocery shopping for the week.  There was a list involved, including 'kale.'  I figured Safeway would sell kale in the same 10 oz. package I usually buy at Trader Joe's, so I planned two meals involving the greens. 
JP came home with TWO POUNDS of kale.  Oh, and he then went out of town for half the week, leaving me to rustle up some ways to get rid of all this green.
To give you an idea of just how much kale this is, please see the above photo with Mia; you can see that the bag is about the size of her torso.  And the photo with the legal pad is to show that I was about to challenge myself to eat more than a foot of kale.  Does that make any sense?
First up, I cut up some zuccini, summer squash, and carrots, threw in some olive oil and salt/pepper, and roasted it for 20 minutes until tender.  This was easy to throw on top of rice, quinoa, toast, you name it.
I also made Dr. Weil's marinated kale salad, highly recommended to me by Katrina.  This is perfect, as there's not heat involved, and the leftovers can sit in your fridge for a few days.  I don't put in the parmesan cheese, and it's still really delicious.

Next up, I sauteed it with peas, onions, and carrots and threw in some quinoa.  Slightly different from roasting, as the greens don't cook for nearly as long.  This might have been my favorite.
Kale was a great addition to these cookies- NOT!  Cookies are nothing but butter and sugar; nothing healthy to see here.  Just making sure you're reading closely. :)
I also added it to my favorite Big Curry Noodle Pot, stirring some in the broth before adding the noodles. 
Not pictured: making two green juices for dinner one night for JP and I, and having it wilted with just some water in a sautee pan for breakfast two days.

All said and done, it took me about a week to get through 2 lbs. of dense, leafy greens.  I did realize, though, that it's so easy to just add a handful or two of greens to nearly any dish or meal for some added nutrients.  I felt better about what I was eating, and, to be honest, it helped curb my craving for popsicles and other summery sweets.
A little bit. 
Thanks for inadvertently challenging my greens-intake for a week, JP!  You brought all those green juices on yourself...

4 comments:

  1. That's a LOT of kale. And I have some fresh kale wilting in my refridge right now. I need to get on it! Thanks for morning laugh. M

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  2. Sometimes it's dangerous to send a man to the grocery store -- even with a list!! But you are a very resourceful girl and I commend you for finding so many ways to use all that kale!

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  3. I use kale ALL the time! I sautee it up and have it with rice or some ramen for lunch, or I have it with a fried egg. It's also very handy to have as a veggie when I want to add more veggies to my meal than Matt's :)

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  4. Don't forget, you can always blend it up for a yummy green smoothie recipe!

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