Kale-ing Me Softly: Roasted Kale and Kale Smoothies

I have a confession to make. [Big breath.]

I have not, historically, enjoyed my leafy greens. 

I know, I know!  It's embarrassing!  They are so incredibly nourishing, so healthful - how could I turn up my nose at such a nutritionally perfect food?  And so many foodies gush over their favorite steamed/sauteed/squirted with lemon/tossed with bacon/stewed with garlic versions.  But I just simply did not enjoy them.  I found them unpleasantly bitter and chewy, the flavor too assertive.  

But, oh, how I wanted to love them!  They were all so lovely, beckoning at the farmer's market.  The chard with its stems in a brilliant rainbow of jewel-tone colors, the kale with its frilly, curly leaves.  I wanted to be the one at the market with those gorgeous greens lounging across the top of my basket.  Yet I always walked on by, and anytime I saw a new recipe involving a leafy green, I sighed and turned the page.  It wasn't meant to be.

Until now! 

I have seen the light!  In the past month, I have been eating kale like it's going out of style, thanks to two of my dearest girlfriends/cooks, Heather and Sarah.  (And with a little help from the amazing kale from Be Wise Ranch, here in San Diego.)  So here are the two recipes that have turned me from kale-phobic into kale-fanatic.  Now that I'm head over heels for these two versions of kale, I'm ready to venture forth and try some of those kale (and chard, beet greens, mustard greens, collard greens, etc.) recipes I've been ignoring.  I'll let you know how it goes . . .

HK'S ROASTED KALE

Heather is one of my college girlfriends and although we don't get to see each other very often, I get the joy of "hearing" her voice when I read her blog, Stumptown Sisters.  And despite me never mentioning my love for Orangette to Heather, she gave me Molly Wizenberg's book, based on that blog, as a gift.  So, obviously, I trust that Heather's cooking style and tastes will dovetail with mine.  When I did my recent post about roasted cabbage, Heather left a comment suggesting I try roasting kale.  Well, given my intense love of all roasted veggies, I knew that this was my big chance to finally fall in love with a leafy green.  And, wow!  This is so good.  It makes an excellent snack -- Heather says it's as good as popcorn, but to my mind, it's more like eating potato chips.  I've eaten an entire bunch of kale while my kids were snacking on buttered popcorn and I never even once had the desire to dip into their popcorn bowls.  It really is that good.  (And if you aren't convinced yet, let me tell you that my mom, who, God love her, is not exactly a health food or veggie lover, thought this was delicious!)

• 1 bunch kale (I've used both green and purple curly-leaf kale, but I'm sure any of the varieties of kale would work fine)
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Wash and dry your kale leaves.  Pull the tender leaves off of the tough stems and put them on a rimmed baking tray.
2. Drizzle the leaves with some olive oil.  You want enough to just coat them, so that they are all glistening, but not so much that they are drowning in a pool of oil.  Generously salt and pepper the leaves.
3. Roast at 400 (or 425 or 450 -- it doesn't much matter what temp), tossing them around every now and again, until the leaves are starting to get crispy.  I like mine fairly close to being burnt -- darker than depicted in the photos below.  The leaves get papery and crispy and as addictive as potato chips.  I also like mine with a pretty hefty dose of pepper, but use your own taste as a guide, here.  I serve them piled high on a platter.  And I'm not ashamed to say that I just use my fingers, if I'm snacking. 

Note:  I think that this has the potential to be a kid-pleasing veggie preparation, with one caveat:  go easy on the pepper!  I called it "leaf chips" and got my 5 yr. old to take a bite (always the biggest hurdle with a new veg), but she spit it out, saying it was too spicy -- and now she won't try it again.  I wish I had given it to her with just a lot of salt, and then added pepper to the portion on my plate. 

SARAH'S SUPER SMOOTHIE

My next great kale adventure came in the very surprising form of a smoothie.  My friend Sarah has been touting the deliciousness and health benefits of her "green smoothies" ever since I met her two years ago.  And I've even seen her kids drink them down.  But a smoothie made with kale?  Seriously?  It just never sounded appealing to me.  And then my son got a nasty cold just 5 days before his third birthday party and I wanted to try anything and everything I could to boost his immune system and get him healthy in time to enjoy his birthday.  Well, I wasn't lucky enough to get him to fall in love with the smoothie -- he refused to try it because it was green (which makes zero sense, since he adores guacamole and eats salad).  But I fell in love, instead.  Here is the basic recipe.

• 2-5 leaves kale (start with 2 and work your way up from there)
• a handful of parsley (Sarah says about 1/4 of a bunch;  I just cut a handful from my garden)
• 1 apple
• 1 orange
• 1 banana

1. Wash all your produce.  Pull the tender kale leaves off of the tough stems and put them in the blender.  Pluck the leaves of parsley (and some small stems are fine, too) and add them to the blender.  Add a splash of water and blend the greens. 
2. Core and chop the apple; peel and chop the orange;  peel and chop the banana.  Add all three to the blender and mix.  This makes a very thick smoothie, but you can thin it with water to your desired consistency.  I thin it just a bit and serve with a spoon.  This makes enough for at least two servings, although I often eat the entire thing over the course of a morning (or afternoon, if I'm having it for lunch). 

Note:  As I said, Sarah's kids drink this, so if your kids can get past the green color, this could be a great way to get in a bit of veggies.  You could start with just one kale leaf and all their favorite fruits, even.  Also, you can play with the recipe quite a bit.  Sarah has added mangoes, berries, and other fruits that she has on hand.  I have tried it without each of the three fruits listed above and, although I like the combo of all three best, I think the only essential one is the apple.  It just wasn't quite as tasty without the apple. 

Enjoy!
M

PS  Lyn, that title pun was for you! ;-)

Roasted Cabbage: Mon Petit Chou

Can I tell you a little secret?  I love cabbage.  I know, I know.  Poor cabbage has an image problem.  People think cabbage is stinky, bland, boring, cheap.  It's the working-class, hardy, reliable veg that gets overshadowed by its fancy, ritzy neighbors in the produce section.  The leeks, the beets, the fennel, the white asparagus -- they all seem so much more glamorous than the sturdy cabbage. 

But cabbage has so much to offer!  A small, fresh cabbage is surprisingly sweet.  And they keep for days on end in the crisper drawer, which means they are like a little gift near the end of the week, when you've already burned through those frou-frou veggies that couldn't take another day in the fridge.  (Cabbage will wait for you.)  And as long as you don't boil cabbage to death, it is a real pleasure to eat.  And if all that didn't convince you, consider this:  "mon petit chou" is a French term of endearment.  It means "my little cabbage."  And we can all agree that the French know a thing or two about food, love, and life, can we not?  I rest my case.

I love green cabbage braised in cream, red cabbage shredded and tossed in a lemon-pepper dressing, and even a homemade coleslaw with curried mayo, nuts, and dried cranberries.  But all those cabbage preparations have been overshadowed by my new favorite recipe:  Roasted Cabbage with Lemon.  You may already know of my intense love of all roasted veggies.  And yet I had never thought of roasting cabbage until I saw it in the January issue of Martha Stewart Living.  I tried it immediately and we've had it once a week ever since.  I even ate about 3/4s of a small, roasted cabbage as my entire dinner the other night.  (Although, to be fair, that was because the French Vegetable Stew I made to go with the cabbage was completely awful.  So while the French may know a thing or two about food, perhaps I do not.)

This recipe takes advantage of cabbage's natural sweetness, as some of the sugar carmelizes as it roasts and browns.  Then the lemon squeezed over it complements the sweetness perfectly.  Even better, this recipe is as easy as it comes.  Perfect even for the beginners out there. 

So pick yourself up a petit chou this week and get ready to fall in love.

ROASTED CABBAGE WITH LEMON

Source:  adapted from Martha Stewart Living, Jan. 2010 issue

• 1 small, green cabbage
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 lemon

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Remove any loose, dirty or bruised outer leaves from your cabbage.  Trim the stem and then cut the cabbage in half.  Then cut each half into four wedges, trying to preserve a bit of core on each wedge, to help hold them together. 
3. Arrange wedges on a rimmed baking sheet.  Brush the wedges generously with olive oil on all sides.  (Martha called for just 1/2 tsp. of oil, but I easily use a full tablespoon or so.  Also, if you don't have a brush, just lightly pat them with oil -- I even let my 2 yr. old do that recently and they turned out fine.)  Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Roast for about 10-15 mins. and then carefully flip.  Roast for another 10-15 mins.  (I like mine to get some good color, so I go pretty long.  But do check every now and again!)
5. Squeeze the lemon over the cabbage and serve. 

Enjoy!
M

Veggies: Roast 'em if You Got 'em!

I don't think I've told you, yet, about my deep and abiding love for roasted vegetables. I love them. Adore, worship, glorify, treasure, cherish them. That may sound a little over the top, to you, but really, I'm mad about roasted veggies. Roasting turns a vegetable into a more perfect version of itself -- a little sweeter, a little nuttier, a little more like a celebration, rather than the portion of your dinner you choke down for health purposes.

And I never get tired of roasted vegetables, since there are so many veggies and so many preparations. In the summer, I roast eggplant to use in ratatouille and turn pounds and pounds of tomatoes into edible rubies thanks to Molly Wizenburg's recipe for Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. When fall hits, there are trays upon trays of roasted veggies: fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, green beans, turnips, and winter squashes of all kinds. And on nights when we're having the emergency dinner of choice in our house -- quesadillas -- I can make an effortless, cheap, side dish out of a bag of frozen, organic corn.

So here are just a few of my favorite roasted veggie recipes for fall. Despite the fact that I'm posting recipes, there is not a "wrong" way to roast your veggies. As long as you get them onto a pan with some oil (or at least some Pam) and get them in the oven, they will probably turn out yummy. So, e.g., if my recipe below calls for a 425 degree oven, but you're cooking a main dish at 375, no sweat! Just pop the veggies in with your main dish, at the lower temp. Just roast 'em if you got 'em.

ROASTED BEETS

Sources: adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters, and William-Sonoma Vegetable, Marlena Spieler

Serves: about 6

Time: 5 mins. prep, 45 mins. unattended baking, another 5 mins. assembling

If you think you aren't a fan of beets because you've mostly had the canned variety that turns up on salad bars, then it's time to think again. Try this method and you'll end up like me: thinking about beets in the middle of the night, wondering whether your husband ate the leftover beet salad or whether you will get it for lunch tomorrow . . . Roasting beets, rather than boiling them, preserves the sugar in the beet -- it isn't lost into the boiling liquid. If you buy your beets with the greens still on and don't plan on preparing them for a few days, then cut the greens off a little above the root. The beet root will keep a week or so, without their tops, loosely wrapped in the fridge. (P.S. You can eat the greens, too!)

• Beets
• vinegar (Balsamic, red wine, white wine, sherry)
• salt & pepper
• sugar
• olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the beet greens off, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Wash the beets well and put them in a baking dish with a big splash of water (about 1/2 inch of water). Cover tightly (either with a lid or foil) and bake for about 40 mins (for small beets) to 1 1/2 hrs. (for large beets) -- until a sharp knife easily pierces through the center of the biggest beet.
2. After the beets have cooled a bit, peel them. I just slide the skins right off, using a small knife in any spots where it sticks. Cut them into quarters and place in a bowl.
3. Sprinkle the beets with vinegar, salt and pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Let them sit for as long as you can -- at least 15 mins. (The beets need a chance to absorb the vinegar to be truly, truly delicious!)
4. Add a little olive oil -- not too much!

The beets are delicious just plain like this, but here are my favorite ways to finish them:

1. Add some crumbled goat cheese and dill.

2. Prep some baby greens with salt, pepper, juice from half a lemon, and olive oil. Put the beets on top. Bonus points: add goat cheese and toasted walnuts. (And grilled chicken is yummy, too!)
3. Toss some sections of blood oranges (or whatever oranges you have on hand) with the beets. Also good over the greens described above.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Source: adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Serves: about 4
Time: about 7 mins. prep, 20 mins. mostly unattended cooking time, and 5 more mins. assembling

This is my kids' favorite vegetable. We call it "Popcorn Cauliflower" in our house, as the little florets resemble popcorn -- and are coated with butter and crunchy salt.

• 1 head cauliflower
• cooking spray (or olive oil)
• coarse salt
• about 1-3 tsp. butter

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Prep the cauliflower: cut out the stem and separate the florets into small, bite-size pieces. Spray a baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) with Pam and spread the cauliflower onto it. Roast the cauliflower for about 20 mins, until it is nicely browned. Stir the florets once or twice while roasting.
2. Meanwhile, put a bit of butter in a small frying pan and let it brown. (If you're rushed for time, use high heat and it will brown fast.)
3. When the cauliflower is done, put it in a serving bowl and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle the browned butter on and toss.

Note: My neighbor adds mushrooms to the roasting pan, which sounds delicious, but I haven't tried it, yet!

ROASTED WINTER SQUASH

Source: Adapted, barely, from Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters

Serves: 4-6

Time: 15 mins. prep, 40 mins. mostly unattended roasting time

• 1 winter squash of your choice (butternut, acorn, kabocha, pumpkin, etc.)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• a few cloves of garlic
• parsley or thyme

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Peel your squash with a sharp vegetable peeler (and a knife, if necessary). Scoop out any seeds/strings. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss with a few whole cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) and roast for about 40 mins., until tender and nicely browned. Stir every now and again to prevent burning.
3. Toss roasted squash with some freshly chopped parsley or thyme.

ROASTED CARROTS

Source: Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters

Serves: 4 (or just me, alone)

Time: 7 mins. prep and about 20-30 mins. mostly unattended roasting time

I'm not much of a carrot fan, in general. I don't mind those ubiquitous baby carrots, but I don't exactly crave them. But find me a gorgeous bunch of carrots at the farmer's market and roast them up, and suddenly I'm sneaking the little gems off the baking sheet so fast that there are barely any left at the dinner table . . .

• carrots
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Peel and trim the carrots and then cut them on the diagonal into thin slices. Toss the slices with a lot of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the carrots into a single layer on a baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) and roast for about 20-30 mins. Definitely stir and toss them a few times, especially near the end. I like them pretty browned, but it's up to you.

Note: Alice Waters' recipe adds turnips to this, which sounds awesome. I've added wedges of onion and enjoyed that, too.

ROASTED CORN

Source: Barely adapted from Cheap. Fast. Good., Beverly Mills & Alicia Ross

Serves: 4-6 (or just me, alone . . . again)

Time: 2 mins. prep and 10-15 mins. unattended cooking time

You won't believe how roasting can turn that bag of corn you always have stashed in your freezer into an exciting, craveable side dish. We make this any time we're having a Mexican main dish.

• 1 lb. bag frozen corn (organic and extra-sweet recommended!)
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• Coarse salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Dump the corn into a colander and rinse with cool water, to defrost somewhat. Drain well. (I pat it with paper towels, too.)
3. Spread the corn on a baking sheet (jelly-roll pan). Drizzle with the oil. Stir to coat and then redistribute in a single layer. Roast until the kernels start to brown -- the original recipe calls for 10 mins, but I like them pretty browned, so I go closer to 15-20 mins. I stir at 10 mins., though. (If I can remember!)
4. Season with coarse salt to taste.

Roast 'em if you got 'em! And let me know if you have a favorite roasted veggie I should try!

Enjoy!

M