Ahh kale

I don't think I ever had kale when I was growing up. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say I probably never had it before two years ago. For sure, I never cooked it before then. But, a year or two ago I was at a retreat center that inlcuded a "plain" food section in its buffet every day. One day, the regular fare (all vegetarian) didn't look all that appealing to me so I was looking around for something to add to my plate. That's when I found kale. At the time, I followed the example of the Buddhist nuns with whom I was sharing a table and I added Gomasio (sesame salt) and a dash of umeboshi plum vinegar (I learned fast that a small dash of this is enough!).

Now, I'm not sure that I would say that I think kale is the most delicious food ever but I enjoy the flavor and eating it always makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my body. Just look at the ratings: (table courtesy of The World's Healthiest Foods

Kale, boiled 1.00 cup 130.00 grams 36.40 calories
Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
vitamin K	1062.10 mcg	1327.6	656.5	excellent
vitamin A	9620.00 IU	192.4	95.1	excellent
vitamin C	53.30 mg	88.8	43.9	excellent
manganese	0.54 mg	27.0	13.4	excellent
dietary fiber	2.60 g	10.4	5.1	very good
copper	0.20 mg	10.0	4.9	very good
tryptophan	0.03 g	9.4	4.6	very good
calcium	93.60 mg	9.4	4.6	very good
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)	0.18 mg	9.0	4.5	very good
potassium	296.40 mg	8.5	4.2	very good
iron	1.17 mg	6.5	3.2	good
magnesium	23.40 mg	5.8	2.9	good
vitamin E	1.11 mg	5.6	2.7	good
omega 3 fatty acids	0.13 g	5.4	2.7	good
vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	0.09 mg	5.3	2.6	good
protein	2.47 g	4.9	2.4	good
vitamin B1 (thiamin)	0.07 mg	4.7	2.3	good
folate	17.29 mcg	4.3	2.1	good
phosphorus	36.40 mg	3.6	1.8	good
vitamin B3 (niacin)	0.65 mg	3.3	1.6	good

World's Healthiest Foods Rating	Rule
excellent	DV>=75%	OR	Density>=7.6	AND	DV>=10%
very good	DV>=50%	OR	Density>=3.4	AND	DV>=5%
good	DV>=25%	OR	Density>=1.5	AND	DV>=2.5%

Of course, the other fantastic thing about Kale is how incredibly cheap it is. I can buy a pound for a dollar and that will last me at least 4 meals. It's such a hardy plant, too, that I can get it fresh and local from the farmer's market for most of the year.


For preparation, I still tend to eat it just as I did that first time with a bit of Gomasio or plum vinegar. I make my own sesame salt which end sup being really cheap and useful to have around the house (I just toast the seeds with regular table salt in the toaster oven). If I have them, I may also add other Japanese seasonings.

Based on a general search for kale recipes, it seems to go well with lots of other ingredients, form noodles to beans to other vegetables.

For a nice selection of Kale recipes, try Culinate.com or Epicurious

Given what's hanging around my house at the moment, the two recipes I'm most interested in trying are:

Tuscan Kale Chips and Rice with Kale and Tomatoes

There are a couple of other recipes I'm eying up for next week too!