Versatile kale packs nutrition, great taste into every leaf

As a registered dietitian, Lorna DunnCrabb had an appreciation for the nutritional qualities of kale. She wasn’t really sure about the flavor, though.

“I had heard that it was very bitter, and I don’t like bitter things,” said DunnCrabb, who’s on staff at University Medical Center. Another dietitian gave her a simple recipe — 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil, mixed and tossed with a bunch of kale — and she discovered that any bitterness had disappeared.

But more impressive was how much her elementary-school-aged granddaughters liked it.

“That was a surprise for me,” she said. “One was telling me how much she loved this thing called kale chips. She’ll eat a whole panful if she’s allowed to.”

Kale: that superhealthy food that also happens to be really good. No wonder it’s become the darling of the produce aisle.

First, let’s discuss the nutritional aspects.

“One of the interesting things about kale is that it is a green vegetable, and we expect certain things from green vegetables,” DunnCrabb said. “But this is one of the ones that has a little bit of extra stuff” in the way of calcium and vitamins A, C and K, and is known for its antioxidants.

Vitamin A, she said, is important to eye health. Calcium is, of course, key to building and maintaining strong bones, but it also has been shown to have a role in keeping blood vessels healthy, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and helping to reduce the risk of pre-menstrual depression.

Beyond that, though, kale just tastes good. The lemon-juice-and-olive-oil recipe was part of a kale salad that also included dried cranberries, a sweet apple, slivered almonds and freshly grated Parmesan, DunnCrabb said.

“It was a wonderful salad,” she said.

So, kale chips, kale salad …

“The first dish that my daughter cooked for me was steamed kale,” DunnCrabb said. “She had used some kind of broth and then put some garlic and stuff in the pan. It was still kind of crispy.”

It’s that kind of versatility that local chefs find so appealing about kale.

“It can find itself in a braise as easily as it finds itself in a salad,” said Anthony Amoroso, executive chef of Aria at CityCenter. “Instead of the same old Caesar, the first time I used it in the kitchen I did what would have been a Caesar dressing, but more garlicky, because the leaves can hold up to it.”

Michael Van Staden, executive chef at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, said the buffet sometimes offers baked kale chips, but serves it in a lot of other ways.

“It’s so versatile,” he said. “It holds up better than spinach. You put kale with bacon, or with a nice olive-oil-poached fish; wrap it inside of it. Everybody uses it in salads; I think you can use it for so much more.”

Michael Gill, executive chef of Old Homestead Steakhouse at Caesars Palace, said he serves it as a side dish.

“Basically, just a simple braised kale with some golden raisins and pine nuts,” he said. “Our clientele is what we call Middle American, so we’re not trying to scare anybody by using extravagant ingredients they don’t recognize.”

Aaron Losch, executive chef of T-Bones Chophouse at Red Rock Resort, said preparation methods tend to affect flavor.

“Upon itself, it’s kind of a very nice pronounced green flavor,” he said. “It’s got some heartiness to it.” In both nutrition and flavor, he said, kale has more going for it than iceberg, romaine or most of the other salad greens that have become so familiar.

Although some people insist that kale that’s not going to be cooked must be “massaged,” all three chefs said they never do it.

“Honestly, for me, I think if you prepare it the correct way, either by chiffonading it down small enough or braising it long enough, it’s fine,” Losch said. “If you’re going to take out the stems, that’s the best way to avoid the grainy and fibrous pieces.”

At home, Amoroso said, kale works well in casserole-style dishes.

“One-pot beans and sausage, to make that a little healthier for me, I find kale goes really well into that,” he said. “It’s an easy way for me to get nutrition. And it’s an easy dish to prepare. I do that probably once every two weeks at home — farmers market beans, sausage and kale.”

He said he thinks the kale craze started with juicing.

“I think people can kind of get their heads around what health really means,” he said. “There was a time when health was all about calories. People are actually starting to understand that it’s not just how many calories, it’s actually what they’re made out of.”

“Right now, kale is definitely making its comeback, with all of the press it’s gotten,” Gill said. “I was just watching ‘Iron Chef’ a couple of weeks ago, and it was Battle Kale. Those guys were doing some pretty intense things with kale. We’re not doing nearly that exciting stuff here, but it’s definitely had a popularity comeback.”

KALE CHIPS

Cooking spray

1 small bunch kale (about ½ pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking trays with cooking spray. Remove the center rib and stems from each kale leaf and discard. Tear or cut the leaves into bite-size pieces, about 2 to 3 inches wide. Wash the kale and dry it very well.

Place the kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder and salt, and massage the oil and seasonings into the kale with your hands to distribute evenly. Place the kale in a single layer on the baking sheets, and bake until crisp and the edges are slightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Epicurious

LEMONY KALE SALAD

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups torn kale leaves

2 cups torn Swiss chard leaves

4 teaspoons unsalted pumpkin seed kernels

¼ cup sliced green onions (about 2)

1 ounce shaved pecorino Romano

Combine first five ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add kale and chard; toss. Let stand 10 minutes.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add kernels; cook 5 minutes or until brown, stirring frequently. Add kernels, onions and cheese to greens; toss.

Serves 6.

— Recipe from Cooking Light

BEEF AND KALE TACOS

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ pound ground grass-fed beef

2 carrots, grated

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon mild chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup water

12 corn taco shells

2 cups kale leaves sliced into thin strips

1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese (organic if possible)

12 teaspoons jarred salsa

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then add the beef, carrots and garlic. Sprinkle with the salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat begins to brown and vegetables soften. Add the chili powder, cumin and tomato paste. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until the spices become fragrant. Add the water, reduce the heat, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the beef is no longer pink in the center.

Meanwhile, place the taco shells in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to warm them (or warm them in a toaster oven). Assemble each taco by spooning 2 tablespoons of the meat and some of the kale and cheese into each shell. Top each taco with 1 teaspoon salsa and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Epicurious

KALE AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

10 garlic cloves, minced (divided use)

2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste

¼ cup dry red wine

1 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 (14½-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can unsalted crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 ounce pancetta

1 pound cremini mushrooms

¾ cup unsalted beef stock, divided

2 tablespoons half-and-half

8 cups chopped kale

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Cooking spray

6 uncooked no-boil lasagna noodles

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¼ cup)

1 ounce part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about ¼ cup)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add 8 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stirring to combine. Add wine; cook 1 minute. Add basil and next 4 ingredients (through bay leaf). Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.

Place pancetta in a food processor; process until finely ground. Remove pancetta. Place mushrooms in food processor; process until finely ground.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta; cook 6 minutes or until crisp, stirring to crumble. Add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, mushrooms, and ¼ cup stock. Increase heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes or until almost dry. Remove from heat; stir in half-and-half.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining ½ cup stock and remaining 2 garlic cloves; bring to a boil. Add kale; cook 10 minutes or until kale wilts, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread 1 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square broiler-safe glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top noodles with all of kale and ¾ cup sauce. Arrange 2 noodles over kale and sauce; top with mushroom mixture and ricotta. Top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles; sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Turn on broiler (do not remove dish from oven). Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes; sprinkle with parsley and pepper.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Cooking Light

BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH PORK AND GREENS

1 pound boneless pork chops, trimmed, cut into ½-inch pieces

½ teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup instant brown rice

8 cups roughly chopped kale leaves (about 1 small bunch), tough stems removed

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons cider vinegar or sherry vinegar

½ teaspoon smoked paprika, preferably hot

1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed

Toss pork with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.

Add onion, tomato paste and rice to the pan and cook until the onion softens, about 4 minutes. Add kale and garlic and cook until the kale begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, vinegar, paprika and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the rice is done, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved pork and black-eyed peas and heat for 1 minute.

Serves 6.

— Recipe from the American Heart Association

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.