I don’t want to scare anyone off… but it’s getting to be kale season. I got some in my CSA last week, and it’s one of the few veggies still flourishing in my garden. For some, this is great news. I happen to love kale in all its forms, and prefer it to almost any other green – I’d forego spinach for kale any day of the week. For others, though, this is not such a good sign. For them, the beginning of kale season signifies the descent into a long winter of root vegetables, cold-hardy greens, citrus, and the occasional guilt-inducing trip to Wholefoods to pick up that so-not-local-but-oh-so-good Chilean peach. Fear not, we’re not at that dark time quite yet – we’ve still got time for end-of-season corn, butternut squash, chestnuts, figs, plums, apples, and a myriad of pumpkin-flavored baked goods. But still, kale has arrived, and why not start showing it a little love now?
Kale salad was a super-trendy restaurant dish last year. Andrew Knowlton even wrote about the ubiquity of kale salad for Bon Appetit last month, when sharing this recipe for his favorite version. If you’re not a natural kale-lover, an entire salad composed of the stuff might be a hard sell, but I urge you to give it a try. A little cheese, lemon, and olive oil can go a long way in transforming this green into a tender, tasty salad that even Romaine-purists might grow to enjoy. In fact, after I had finished this bowl I almost harvested the rest of my kale right then and there to make another bowl. Give it a try – it’s simple, healthy, and zesty. Head on over to Greatist for the recipe.
Other tasty kale recipes from here…
- Portuguese Kale Soup
- Creamy Chevre and Kale Pasta
- Lemon Cream Spaghetti with Kale and Peas
- White Bean, Kale, and Pesto Soup
- Raw Kale and Avocado Salad with Apples, Almonds, and Nori
- Baked Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Garlicky Kale
… and around the blogsophere
- Creamed Kale with Caramelized Shallots – from Food Network
- Parsley, Kale, and Berry Smoothie – from Bon Appetit
- Crispy Baked Kale with Gruyere – from Ezra Pound Cake
- Kale and Cranberry “Crackers” – from House and Home
- Coconut Quinoa and Kale with Tropical Pesto – from Cookie and Kate
- Kale and Ricotta Galette – from My Fair Baking
I, for one, get really excited about kale! Your salad looks delicious.
Thanks, Kate! On top of it tasting good, you get to feel really good about yourself after eating it…
Aw, how could kale scare anyone away? It’s one of the highlights of fall–for me, anyway! :) The combination with salty cheese is excellent.
Mmm, I know, I love it. It’s also great with a rich/fatty dressing – like avocado!
haha, we don’t even have kale in the supermarkets in Denmark. Maybe the trend will catch us this year… looks great what you have made of it anyway!
I’m actually really surprised by that! I thought it was more ubiquitous. I’m sure you have plenty of delicious things that we don’t have.. you’re probably not missing out too much on the kale!
Great idea! I got my delivery of Boston Organics today. I was wondering if I’d get some kale, but I didn’t- but I’ve bookmarked this.
Oh cool, you’re trying Boston Organics! I hope you like it. It’s pretty inevitable that you’ll get kale eventually…
mmmm kale salad…I was actually eating kale salad with summer kale from the farmers’ market too! It’s a year-round thing for me
Ha! Suddenly I see fresh kale everywhere also here in Denmark. I came to think of that it is a typical Christmas dish but I never saw it fresh, it is always chopped and frozen, often with cream. The fresh stuff does not look like what you have in your garden either. It is more curly and look very tough, not really suited for salad I reckon. Do you have the curly one as well?
Yes, the curly kind is more common here as well, and I have some of both growing in my garden. They taste very similar, but the texture of the flat “lacinato” kale is nice. I love creamed kale! Yummy.
Looks amazing! I love kale. Must try!!!