1. Two-Bean Soup with KaleIngredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups organic low salt vegetable broth, divided
• 7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté for 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon ginger and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
2. Place half of cannellini beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans, and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon ginger, vinegar, and rosemary.

• 2 large oranges
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, divided
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces kale, very thinly sliced, or baby kale leaves
• 1 ounce toasted hazelnuts, chopped (1/3 cup)

Preparation

1. Peel and segment orange; reserve 3 tablespoons of juice in a large bowl. Mince 2 rings onion. Add to orange juice, with lemon juice, yogurt, oil, ginger, and pepper. Whisk until well mixed.
2. Toss in kale. Top with remaining onion, orange, and hazelnuts.

3. Crispy Tamari Kale.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 1/2 pound kale, coarse stems removed and leaves torn (about 6 cups)
• 1 egg white whisked with and equal quantity of milk until bubbles form

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine 2 teaspoons each olive oil, tamari, and sherry vinegar; toss with 1/2 pound kale, coarse stems removed and leaves torn (about 6 cups).
3. Divide kale mixture among 2 shallow baking pans; add the egg white and milk mixture and bake until crisp and golden (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

4. Roasted Squash and Kale Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound kale, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Peel, seed, and cut butternut squash into 1-inch chunks.
3. Toss with olive oil, ginger, and pepper; bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; cool.
4. Toss with kale, cucumber, and red onion.
5. In a blender, purée low-sodium soy sauce, fresh lime juice, olive oil, fresh ginger to taste, and water.
6. Drizzle salad with dressing; serve.

5. Barley-Stuffed Poblanos

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups barley, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, leaves chopped
• 1 1/8 teaspoons chili powder, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 6 large poblano peppers or capsicum
• 3 egg white whisked with and equal quantity of milk until bubbles form

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft (5-7 minutes). Add barley and 3 3/4 cups water and cook until barley is tender (about 30 minutes). Stir kale and 1/8 teaspoon chili powder into barley until kale is wilted; mix in egg white and milk mixture…
2. Meanwhile, in a heavy pot, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder, and ginger; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (about 30 minutes). Turn heat to low; cover.
3. Preheat broiler with rack in middle position. Slice off stems from peppers to make a wide hole for stuffing; reserve stems. Using a small knife, carefully remove membranes and seeds. Stuff peppers tightly with barley mixture; return stem ends to top of peppers. Place in a large, broiler-proof baking dish; broil until peppers are charred and soft (20 minutes), turning once halfway through. Add tomato sauce to pan around peppers; Heat for further 1-2 minutes. Transfer peppers to plates with sauce.

6. Chicken and White Bean Soup with Greens

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white part only or spring onions
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
• 6 cups reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth or water
• 1 1/2 cups skinless, boneless, shredded, precooked free range or omega 3 chicken
• 1 (2-inch) fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup packed roughly chopped fresh kale
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3–4 minutes or until tender but not browned. Add carrots, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add broth, chicken, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, skimming occasionally.
2. Add beans and kale, and simmer for about 5 minutes more. Add spinach, and cook for 2–3 minutes more or until tender. Season with ginger and pepper.
3. Remove rosemary sprig and garlic clove. Ladle soup into 6 warm bowls; sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon parsley.

7. Braised Kale

Ingredients

• 1 large (14-oz) bunch kale
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup lower-sodium chicken broth or water
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Strip the kale leaves from the tough stems. Discard the stems; coarsely chop the leaves. Rinse well in a colander, leaving the water on the leaves.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it’s golden and aromatic (3-4 minutes). Transfer the garlic to a dish and reserve.
3. Reheat the oil over medium heat, then add the kale and the broth. Cover and simmer until the kale is tender (3-4 minutes). Season with the ginger and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter. (I would do this step without the oil)

8. Tuscan Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound dried cannellini beans

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, minced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. minced fresh sage

2 tsp. minced, fresh rosemary

7 cups low salt chicken or vegetable stock or water.

A bunch of kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped

Ginger and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. In a large saucepan, cover the dried beans with water (completely) and soak overnight. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, sage and rosemary and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Add beans and stock. Cover and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cooking until the beans are almost tender – about 1 hour, then add the kale.
5. Cover and continue simmering until the beans and vegetables are tender.
6. Remove pot from heat and mash some of the beans against the side of the pot until soup is a nice, hearty consistency, adding water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Add ginger and pepper to taste.

This recipe makes six servings.

9. Creamy Kale Dip

Serves 4 Makes 1½ cups
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 red capsicum, halved
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup GreekYoghourt (Optional, I would leave it out.)
125g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 1/2 cups finely shredded kale
¼ cup coarsely chopped raw almonds, toasted
Smoked paprika, to sprinkle

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220 or 200C fan. Place capsicum, skin side up, and garlic on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes. Transfer garlic to a board and roast capsicum a further 5 minutes or until lightly charred. Place capsicum in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Discard capsicum skin and membrane. Squeeze flesh from garlic. Place capsicum, garlic flesh, chickpeas, lemon juice and chilli flakes a small processor (or use a hand held blender). Season to taste with salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add kale (reserving a tablespoon for garnish) and process for a few seconds to finely chop kale. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with almonds, smoked paprika, lemon rind and reserved kale. Serve with toasted sourdough.

Adapted from:-

http://daa.asn.au/recipes/creamy-kale-dip/

 10.  Kale Salad

Raw kale salads are more popular these days since kale has many health benefits. I add some different ingredients to ours to make it chock full of tastes and textures.

8 cups kale, cut up small
¼ cup carrots, shredded
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds (roasted or unroasted)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
4 artichoke hearts, marinated style, cut in small pieces NB 1
a drizzle of apple cider vinegar
a drizzle of a good olive oil

• Toss cut up kale in bowl, drizzle with oil and vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes, tossing twice to coat well.
• Add remaining ingredients and toss well. The salad tastes best if you let it sit for a couple of hours to allow the kale to break down. But if you are short on time you can serve sooner.

Serves: 4-6

Total cooking time: 2 ½ hours

NB 1 this may contain sugar and salt. It was sent to me by a diabetic friend who said it works well.

Rice kale and Mushroom