# Baby Kale



## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 22, 2014)

I found a 1.5 pound bag of Baby Kale at Costco.  I'm not sure if I want to steam or sauté it.  I want to do the whole bag at once and then portion. I will not be seasoning it until I am ready to eat and if I sauté, will be using avocado oil.

What think you, my friends?


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## bethzaring (Feb 22, 2014)

You can't go wrong with bacon for flavoring.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 22, 2014)

Actually, I do love the bacon idea, but I was hoping for some guidance in steaming or sauteing the whole bag, this is going to be almost 9 breakfast servings for me.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2014)

No answers???   I just got done par-steaming 2 pounds of cauliflower and 3 pounds of broccoli, portioning and freezing for Shrek.  I'm on to the kale in about 20 minutes if anyone can help me out.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 23, 2014)

Sorry, but I got nuthin'. I've used kale just in soups and casseroles. And what are you doing up this late? Isn't it past your bedtime?


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## menumaker (Feb 23, 2014)

Sorry PF,
Obviously on a different time scale to you so didn't pick up your request in time. However, for what it's worth I flavor mine with cracked black pepper, lashings of butter ( don't tell my Doctor ) and a sprinkling of caraway seeds


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 23, 2014)

I would rinse it and toss it into a hot pan with a little oil, cover it and stir fry/steam it until it wilts and becomes tender.  Toss in some raisins or other dried fruit and some nuts, similar to the recent thread on spinach.  It would also be great served plain with salt/pepper and a drizzle of apple cider vinegar or the fried bacon crumbles or garlic.  A nest of it topped with a runny poached egg is a great breakfast.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Sorry, but I got nuthin'. I've used kale just in soups and casseroles. And what are you doing up this late? Isn't it past your bedtime?



I was still par-steaming our veggie haul from Costco, got started on it late.  I would have waited till today, but had no room in the fridge for the huge packages.  Now I'm awake because of cats...


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2014)

menumaker said:


> Sorry PF,
> Obviously on a different time scale to you so didn't pick up your request in time. However, for what it's worth I flavor mine with cracked black pepper, lashings of butter ( don't tell my Doctor ) and a sprinkling of caraway seeds



Yes, my Doctor hollers at me about butter, too!  I hadn't considered caraway, thanks!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> I would rinse it and toss it into a hot pan with a little oil, cover it and stir fry/steam it until it wilts and becomes tender.  Toss in some raisins or other dried fruit and some nuts, similar to the recent thread on spinach.  It would also be great served plain with salt/pepper and a drizzle of apple cider vinegar or the fried bacon crumbles or garlic.  A nest of it topped with a runny poached egg is a great breakfast.



Thanks, Aunt Bea! I ended up par-steaming it in the micro wave.  3 minutes for each batch (2 handfuls) , I had 8 batches that cooked down to 1/2 cup servings.  Probably would have been faster in a stockpot for the whole package, but they are a brilliant green.

I didn't season them at all as I want to try different things with each batch so I don't get bored with it.  I'm using the kale a a nest for my breakfast eggs, the first one I make will be made with dried cranberries and walnuts. I plan on a Mexican style one morning and a curried one, too.  The rest is up to whatever I drag out of the spice cabinet.


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## CarolPa (Feb 23, 2014)

I never cooked a large quantity of kale.  I saute onion, garlic, mushroom then add the chopped greens with a little bit of chicken stock or water, put a lid on it, and let it wilt down over a low flame.  Today I added some canned lentils. You probably could have done the whole batch in a stock pot with a small amount of water so it would not have any added flavor.  I don't know if my way is the way it's supposed to be done.  I just read about cooking greens and took pointers from the various websites.  I don't want to add anything like bacon, ham hocks or smoked sausage.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 23, 2014)

I steam, cook in water, and saute kale. I like to sprinkle nutritional yeast on it (before plopping my 2 poached eggs on it). Glad to hear you're giving the greens for breakfast a try!


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## Jing (Feb 23, 2014)

I have tried these bags and love them! Like Aunt Bea, I wilt them in a splash of olive oil in a saute pan....but I usually toss in a minced garlic clove too. If it's for supper, I sometimes also add dried chile pepper. Very very yummy...and so quick and easy.


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## Somebunny (Feb 23, 2014)

I hope they have this baby Kale at my Costco!  I will even try the "greens for breakfast" Ala CWS!  I'm excited, I love Kale. Let us know how you liked the par steaming PF.  I wonder if I can blanch and freeze?


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## Breathing Couch (Feb 23, 2014)

i'm also going to try that!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2014)

The par steaming is fine, still needs a little more cooking to make it nicely tender, but I plan on sauteing it in the morning with a little avocado oil, minced garlic and top with an egg, I have some smoked salt to sprinkle on with a grind of pepper.  I'm hoping to get it tender enough I can eat it without teeth...  I like to eat breakfast before I'm presentable


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 24, 2014)

If you are feeling a little adventurous for breakfast or dinner try a portion of your seasoned kale on top of a bowl of oatmeal. 

It is really quite good once you get your head wrapped around it.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> If you are feeling a little adventurous for breakfast or dinner try a portion of your seasoned kale on top of a bowl of oatmeal.
> 
> It is really quite good once you get your head wrapped around it.



That was going to be one of my choices...I played it safe this morning with my favorite taco seasoning.  Quite good, but now I wish I had some refries.  

I'm going to have to have refries and taco meat or chorizo on hand so I can make migas in the mornings.  Yum!


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## CarolPa (Feb 24, 2014)

As much as I love kale and as much as I love eggs, I'm not sure about a runny egg with my kale.  I think I would have to add the kale to scrambled eggs like I do other veggies.  I don't buy baby kale.  I buy grown-up kale.  LOL  I also switched from baby spinach to flat leaf spinach when I saw that I got almost twice as much for the same amount of money.  I'm going to chop it up, either way.  All I can say is there better be a big difference in my blood work after all these green leafy veggies I'm eating!


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## CarolPa (Feb 24, 2014)

I just made some greens, kale, spinach and collards, for lunch.  I didn't add any liquid to it other than the bit of olive oil I used to saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Since I chop the greens and put them in a colandar in a sink full of cold water to clean them, they had some water clinging to them.  That was enough.  I just watched it closely to make sure it didn't burn.  I think not having any liquid in it helped to retain more of the nutritional value.


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## ShellyCooks (Feb 24, 2014)

I,too, steam kale and use it in scrambled eggs, pasta, soup, chili, frittata, on pizza, etc.  Never tried it in oatmeal ----- may give that a try.

My very favorite way to use kale is to make kale chips.  I've discovered (by accident) that kale chips left out overnight uncovered stay crisp and delicious!  Go figure!!


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## Janet H (Feb 24, 2014)

Baby Kale is great in a sautee pan but it's good raw.  If it's small and tender just add it to salad - no cooking required 

I recently had an amazing kale and apple salad you might want to try with baby Kale:

Kale
Apple cut in matchstick size bits
Toasted sliced almonds
Small handful of ground pecorino
Toss with a light vinaigrette


Toss the kale with the dressing and let sit for 10 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients.  The acid in the dressing softens the greens and deepens flavors. Consider substituting blue cheese and walnuts for the almonds and Romano...


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## CarolPa (Feb 24, 2014)

ShellyCooks said:


> I,too, steam kale and use it in scrambled eggs, pasta, soup, chili, frittata, on pizza, etc.  Never tried it in oatmeal ----- may give that a try.
> 
> My very favorite way to use kale is to make kale chips.  I've discovered (by accident) that kale chips left out overnight uncovered stay crisp and delicious!  Go figure!!




I tried kale chips once and was not impressed.  I might have done it wrong.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2014)

The egg and kale were perfect this morning, a light saute in avocado oil, push to the side,  egg in the pan season with smoked salt and a grind of pepper, 5 minutes and I was eating breakfast.  All done without coffee first.

Thanks for the further ideas.  I had to do something with the kale that night as my fridge is not big enough for a 12 x 12 x 6 bag of veggies.  Something fast too, as it was getting rather late.  So much for impulse buying at Costco.

I am also trying to eat my bigger meal at breakfast and go lighter for the rest of the day.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 25, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> The egg and kale were perfect this morning, a light saute in avocado oil, push to the side,  egg in the pan season with smoked salt and a grind of pepper, 5 minutes and I was eating breakfast.  All done without coffee first.
> 
> Thanks for the further ideas.  I had to do something with the kale that night as my fridge is not big enough for a 12 x 12 x 6 bag of veggies.  Something fast too, as it was getting rather late.  So much for impulse buying at Costco.
> 
> I am also trying to eat my bigger meal at breakfast and go lighter for the rest of the day.


+1 add some grains, and you're good to go. When I cook purple barley in the rice cooker (it takes about as long as it does on the stove and this is after soaking the barley 24 hours), I will add some chopped up greens to the barley the last 5-10 minutes. Another way to eat the greens with breakfast is to make a hash out of chickpeas, onion, and kale.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 25, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> +1 add some grains, and you're good to go. When I cook purple barley in the rice cooker (it takes about as long as it does on the stove and this is after soaking the barley 24 hours), I will add some chopped up greens to the barley the last 5-10 minutes. Another way to eat the greens with breakfast is to make a hash out of chickpeas, onion, and kale.



Baby steps, you know how hard it is for me to eat anything first thing in the morning?  The 1/2 cup of kale and one egg...I am stuffed.  I put some Italian seasoning in it this morning.  Later, around 9 or 10 I will have a snack of seeded whole grain roll with a slice of sharp cheddar and a red pear.  Lunch is tuna with key lime juice and coleslaw, dinner will most likely be steel cut oats...they help my fasting blood sugars in the morning.


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## callmaker60 (Feb 25, 2014)

I just saute it in some olive oil and garlic.


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## msmofet (Feb 25, 2014)

I like to make Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup (bacon is included in the soup).


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## CWS4322 (Mar 13, 2014)

Here's a link to a yummy looking breakfast. You could substitute baby kale for the spinach (Oaty Egg Florentine):

Oatmeal: Your Healthiest Breakfast Yet | Women's Health Magazine


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 13, 2014)

Thanks, CWS!!!


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## chiklitmanfan (May 25, 2014)

We get a whopping large tub of baby Kale at our local Sam's Club.  We substitute that for lettuce/spinach in everything: salads, veggies, etc.  We even put it into tacos instead of lettuce.  Wifey puts a handful into our smoothies. Great mild flavor and texture.


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## Mad Cook (May 25, 2014)

Try as I may, I can't make myself like kale. Odd, because I love most brassicas (including brussels sprouts!). It may be incredibly good for you and very fashionable but I can't get on with it at all.

I used to have an organic veg box delivery and kale always featured in it - yuck! I kept trying to exclude it but it appeared with monotonous regularity.


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## Addie (May 25, 2014)

The farmer has to get rid of it somewhere. And you were elected to be the recipient.


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## CarolPa (May 26, 2014)

I wouldn't even try ANY greens for the first 68 years olf my life, now I love them.  I think that was because until recently, they were served primarily in the south.  Growing up, my mother occasionally served canned spinach and I liked it, but never tried fresh.


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## msmofet (May 26, 2014)

msmofet said:


> I like to make Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup (bacon is included in the soup).


 
I know this is a bit late but here is a pic of the soup.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 26, 2014)

MsM, that looks divine!


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## Mad Cook (May 26, 2014)

Addie said:


> The farmer has to get rid of it somewhere. And you were elected to be the recipient.


I used to take it up to the stables and hand feed it over the wall to the bull who lived in a nearby field. Contrary to what you hear about bulls, he was a sweetheart.


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## Addie (May 26, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> I used to take it up to the stables and hand feed it over the wall to the bull who lived in a nearby field. Contrary to what you hear about bulls, he was a sweetheart.



Don't let that get out. You will ruin their reputation.


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