This year, I decided the time was ripe for innovation. I was tired of leaving the table feeling stuffed but somehow still lacking nourishment. So, I turned to my favorite green, the one that inspired my fascination with the green-leafys, to pump up the nutrient density of Christmas dinner. I made a roasted kale and sweet potato salad. It's an extremely simple dish which can be served hot or cold and is quite palatable especially for the green-wary.
Kale really is an incredible vegetable. It belongs to the cabbage or brassica family, and just one cup of kale provides more than enough beta-carotene, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K for the whole day. It's also a great source of Vitamin C, calcium, and iron. To learn more about the many health benifits of kale, visit Whole Foods, the World's Healthiest Foods link.
Kale is also quite an important part of much of the world's cuisine. In Northern Europe, the Germans, Irish, Dutch, and Scottish have created festivals, named kings, and taken cross-country tasting tours to honor this fine green. In Southeastern Africa, kale is enjoyed boiled in coconut milk and eaten over rice or cornmeal. In Japan, kale juice is popular, and in South America, shredded kale accompanies many traditional dishes. Colcannon, kale and potatoes is favored by the Irish and amazingly kale and sweet potatoes was quite favored my my large family of plain-eating German Americans.
As the dish made its way around the table, with its vivid green and orange hues bright and beautiful against the red tablecloth, I watched as everyone politely took a bit to pacify their strange, foody niece/daughter/granddaughter. I slight grin may have come to my lips as I watched the many hands reaching back for seconds and exclaiming with significant surprise, "Hmph, this is good." Some did just pick out the soft, salty sweet potatoes, I must admit, but the kale got eaten too! Roasting kale is simple and tasty. Try this recipe tonight.
Roasted Kale
Ingredients
One bunch of kale
Tbs. Extra-Virgin Olive oil
tsp. Salt (Kosher salt or sea salt is best)
Preheat oven to 400 F
Wash kale (any variety will do) and remove the major stem that runs down the center of the leaf. My favorite way to do this is to hold the leaf upside down in one hand and with my other hand, strongly run my fingers along the stem, separating the leaf from the stem. I then, rip the kale up into smaller pieces as if I were preparing it for a salad.
In a large bowl, I then toss it with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle on a teaspoon of salt and voila, it's ready to be put in the oven.
Spread the kale out on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for about 5 minutes. It's ready when it turns bright green, gets soft, and starts exuding the wonderful odor of cooked green vegetable. If you let it stay in the oven a little longer, sometimes the kale will begin to get a little crispy. This is a tasty way to eat roasted kale. See what you like.
Roasted kale can be added to the kale and sweet potato salad below, added to a soup or casserole, or eaten plain. It's delicious!
Kale and Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
Bunch of kale
Large White or Yellow Onion
5-7 sweet potatoes
3 Tbs. Olive oil
2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 400 F
Thinly slice sweet potatoes and onions. Toss with 2-3 Tbs. Olive oil and 1-2 tsp. salt in a large bowl so that the olive oil is evenly coating all the vegetables.
Spread in single layer over cookie sheets and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes until onions are transluscent and sweet potatoes are soft and starting to grow spots of brown and black.
Prepare kale as described above separately from the onions and sweet potatoes.
Toss roasted kale and sweet potatoes together in a beautiful bowl and enjoy hot or cold!
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