How to Cook Kale

By Cary Neff, Experience Life

Kale, with its frilly leaves and rich colors, is a gorgeous plant. Although officially a “dark leafy green,” it also comes in vibrant purples and dramatic winter whites. And kale’s beauty runs deep: It is packed with powerful phytonutrients, minerals and fiber.

Kale’s complex flavor wins it fans at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It boasts deep, earthy flavors that can range from rich and meaty to herbaceous and slightly bitter. It tastes supremely healthy — in a good way.

Kale belongs to the Brassica family, which also includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and collards. It is an offshoot of wild cabbage, which originated in Asia Minor.

The ancient Greeks and Romans grew kale in their gardens. Europeans brought kale to the Americas in the 1600s. During WWII, it was a recommended plant for Victory Gardens because it provided so many nutrients. And today, this leafy green is enjoying a revival, particularly among the health-inclined.

Kale is easy to find, and it’s a cinch to work into virtually any style of cooking. Read on for more about kale, as well as a few ways to start experimenting with it.

Nutrition Know-How

Three servings of leafy greens each day has been found to slow cognitive loss by 40 percent.
Kale is packed with phytochemicals like sulfur-containing glucosinolates and isothiocyanates that help ward off cancer.
The fiber in kale helps absorb and sweep out DNA-damaging chemicals and other toxins that enter our bodies.
Open-leafed plants in the cabbage family, like kale, have higher amounts of vitamins C and A and carotenoids than plants whose leaves don’t see the sun. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that also support proper functioning of the immune and reproductive systems and lower the risk of cataracts.
Kale is an excellent source of minerals, including calcium, and manganese, a mineral the body requires for many physiological functions.
One cup of kale provides 1,300 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K, which is important for healthy blood coagulation and maintaining bone mass.

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Read more: Food, Health

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Steve D.

5:05PM PDT on Mar 26, 2012

Love the recipes! I used to hate the time it took to cut the ribs out of the kale until I tried grabbing the bottom of the stem with one hand and taking the leaf off by sliding the other hand up the stem. The stem breaks off where it starts to get tender. Easy and super fast!

send a green star

Stingray S.

12:20PM PST on Feb 21, 2012

how to cook very simple without add ok thanks let me know stingray

Lady K.

7:45AM PST on Feb 20, 2012

Thanks sounds good

Hanna B.

8:15AM PST on Feb 5, 2012

Kale is fantastic.Soup to die for spinach,carrots,green beans,kale,green peas,broccoli -YUM !

Joy W.

11:01PM PST on Feb 3, 2012

Thank you so much for the lovely recipes.

Rosie L.

11:31AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

YUMMY!! thanks!!

Janine K.

5:38PM PST on Jan 15, 2012

Kale is great chopped, cooked in a TBS of olive oil or more and with garlic and onions. Why doesn't anybody eat kale? I eat it all the time. Just made kale, eggplant mushroom and hot pepper soup. It's awesome!

Sandra H.

4:45AM PDT on Oct 30, 2011

My favorite way to have kale is to pick a few large fleshy leaves right out of the garden, and steam it!! This maintains most of the nutrients and is delicisous with just a couple drops of your favorite vinegar and a little sea salt on it. YUM YUM

trisha t.

5:23PM PDT on Mar 20, 2011

Ty I really need to start eating more green just wasnt to sure how to cook it. Ty

Dana W.

5:03PM PDT on Mar 16, 2011

Thanks for the recipe ideas.