Kale Recipes

Kale is a great all year round ingredient. It is a cruciferous vegetable, like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, and has large, edible leaves with a tough central stem. Typically dark green in colour, kale is available in a variety of colours, including purple. The edges of the leaves are either flat or curly. When you buy kale, you’ll normally find it sold whole or pre-chopped, and it can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.

Kale contains four times the vitamin C content and twice the selenium content of spinach, as well as nutrients like vitamin E and beta-carotene. Kale also contains many of the minerals our modern diets lack. It’s a good source of plant-based calcium, needed for strong bones and teeth.

Why not try these delicious recipes below which have kale as one of the star ingredients.

Soft polenta, squash, kale & hazelnuts

Serves 4

Ingredients:
100g shallots
½ butternut squash , peeled and chopped into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
3 thyme sprigs , leaves picked
2 garlic cloves , crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/4 of a whole nutmeg)
200g curly kale , tough stalks removed
1 lemon , zested and juiced
50g hazelnuts , halved or roughly choppe
700ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
150g fine polenta
50ml milk
50g parmesan, plus some shavings to serve

Method

This dish makes a wonderful accompaniment to a roast chicken or some lovely crackling-covered pork. It works well as a vegetarian main course too and can be adapted to be vegan too.

Boil the kettle, put the shallots in a bowl, pour over kettle-hot water and set aside for 10 mins. This will make them much easier to peel. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Once cooled a little, drain and peel the shallots, and halve any large ones. In a large roasting tin, toss the shallots and squash with 1 tbsp oil and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins.

Add the thyme, garlic, chilli, nutmeg, kale, lemon zest and hazelnuts to the roasting tin. Season and toss with the remaining oil. Return to the oven for another 15 mins.

While the vegetables are roasting, bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan. Pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking continuously. Cook for 2-3 mins, then add the milk, season well and stir in the cheese. The polenta should have the consistency of loose mashed potato. Keep warm until ready to serve – the polenta will form a skin and thicken if left for too long, so cover with a piece of baking parchment, and stir in some extra milk if you need to.

To serve, pour the warm polenta onto a large serving platter and top with the roasted veg. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and finish with some parmesan shavings.

Kale salad with carrot ginger dressing

Serves 4

Salad Ingredients:
1 can of drained chickpeas
1 bunch of curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small carrot, grated
1 small red beetroot, grated
½ radish watermelon, very thinly sliced
1 avocado, cubed
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

This happy, feel-good kale salad recipe is packed with colourful vegetables, crispy chickpeas, avocado, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Great for lunch or as a side dish.

Make the carrot ginger dressing:
½ cup chopped roasted carrots, from 3/4 cup raw carrots
1/3 to ½ cup water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced ginger
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Roast the chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with pinches of salt and pepper. Place the carrot pieces for the dressing in their own corner on the baking sheet to roast alongside the chickpeas. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the chickpeas are browned and crisp and the carrots are soft. Set the roasted chickpeas aside. Transfer the carrots to a blender and add the water, olive oil, rice vinegar, ginger, and salt. Blend the dressing until smooth and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Place the kale leaves into a large bowl and drizzle with the lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Use your hands to massage the leaves until they become soft and wilted and reduce in the bowl by about half.
Add the carrot, beetroot, radish watermelon, half of the cubed avocado, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, a few more good pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and toss. Drizzle generously with the carrot ginger dressing. Top with the remaining avocado, more dressing, the roasted chickpeas and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Season to taste and serve.