In the vegetable world, Kale is the Captain America of Super Foods. Mistaking this rich, green leaf for just another type of lettuce would be seriously undervaluing it’s super abilities including lowering cholesterol, upping your fiber content in a single bound, and lowering your risk of cancer. It also has 45 different flavonoids that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
The really good news about Kale is that it’s easy to bring it into your diet during each and every meal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and even dessert – there are so many kale recipes you can create you’ll be eating it every single day. Get ready to see Kale in a whole new way:
Kale for Breakfast
I’ve written about recipes for juicing and smoothie recipes, and it should be no surprise that Kale is a great and healthy addition to any morning beverage. This Kale Banana smoothie has the added benefit of flax seeds and is sweetened up with maple syrup. You can also substitute agave syrup if you don’t like the taste or sugar content of maple.
Kale Banana Smoothie
| Ingredients:
1 banana 2 cups chopped kale 1/2 cup light unsweetened soy milk 1 tablespoon flax seeds 1 teaspoon maple syrup
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Directions
Place the banana, kale, soy milk, flax seeds, and maple syrup into a blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Serve over ice.
Kale for lunch
Sometimes it can be hard to choose something healthy for lunch. When the mid-morning hunger pains turn into what feels like a feeding frenzy, fast food can be your first choice. That’s why it’s best to prepare and take along a salad like this one, and for more quiona salad recipes, be sure to check out my post on quiona.
Kale and Quinoa Salad
| Ingredients:
2 cups water 1 cup quinoa 10 leaves kale, cut into small pieces 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt 1 cup pecans 1 cup currants 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
|
Directions
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir quinoa into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium-low, place cover on the saucepan, and cook until water absorbs into the quinoa, about 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely.
Put kale in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl until oil emulsifies into the mixture; drizzle over kale. Add cooled quinoa, pecans, currants, and feta cheese to the dressed kale and toss to incorporate.
Kale snacks
The best snacks give you energy and taste good, and I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t loved Kale Chips.
Kale Chips
| Ingredients:
1 bunch kale 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
|
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
Kale for dinner
Adding fiber to your dinner plate can mean you eat less of the ‘bad stuff’ like bread or processed foods. This Kale Bean Soup is fiber-rich, filling, and delicious.
Kale Bean Soup
| Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil 8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 4 cups chopped raw kale 4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained 4 plum tomatoes, chopped 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup chopped parsley
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Directions
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Kale for dessert
If you’ve ever tried to trick your kids into eating vegetables, you know it’s sort of hit or miss. I’ve tried these Kale Chocolate Cookies and they’re definitely a hit, so score one for mom!
Kale Chocolate Cookies 
| Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/3 cup applesauce 1/3 cup finely chopped kale 1/3 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon butter, softened 1 egg white 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon honey 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (optional)
|
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
Blend applesauce and kale together in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Beat sugar, butter, egg white, and vanilla together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir kale mixture, canola oil, and honey into creamed butter mixture. Stir flour mixture into kale mixture until dough is just mixed; fold in chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated until edges are slightly hardened, 10 to 12 minutes.
No matter what time of the day it is, kale is a super food you can work into your meals. If you need a few great kitchen tools to create kale recipes, here are a few of my favourites:
 The Blendtek Designer Series Blender can whip up a Kale smoothie in no time |
 Take your Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Pot Food Warmer to work with the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Food Warmer |
 The Wilton Cookie Sheet can hold a whole batch of Kale cookies |
