kale - Related Content

Ingredients: 

2 T extra-virgin olive oil plus 2 tsp, divided
1 C chopped onion
½ C chopped carrot
½ C chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp, dried
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp, dried
8 C chopped kale (1 small-to-medium bunch)  Spinach, Swiss Chard, collards may be substituted
¼ C white whole-wheat or All-Purpose flour
3 C low-sodium or chicken broth
1 15-ounce can white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp ground pepper
For the Biscuit Topping: 
You can substitute refrigerated biscuits such as “Grands” or biscuit mix (Bisquik) for the following ingredients.
1 C white whole-wheat or All-Purpose flour (see Tip)
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
3 T cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 T minced fresh chives
½ C cold buttermilk OR ½ milk plus 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or similar-size 2-quart baking dish) with cooking spray.
2.    Heat 2 T oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add greens; cook, stirring often, until tender and wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 C flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
3.    To prepare biscuits: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub butter into the dry ingredients. Stir in chives. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined. Form the dough into 6 biscuits and place on top of the vegetable mixture. Lightly brush with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Place the potpie on a baking sheet. OR use a packaged biscuit mix or pre-made refrigerated biscuits
4.    Bake until the biscuits are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Tip:
Try white whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in baked goods. It's made from hard white wheat berries, which makes it lighter in color and flavor than regular whole-wheat flour, but with the same nutritional properties. Look for it near other whole-grain flours. For the best flavor, store it airtight in the freezer.
Cut down on dishes: A rimmed baking sheet is great for everything from roasting to catching accidental drips and spills. For effortless cleanup and to keep your baking sheets in good shape, line them with a layer of foil before each use.
To make ahead:
Prepare through Step 2; refrigerate for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before finishing.  If this dish proves to be comforting, you can make a double batch of the base and freeze half for another meal.  Label well, please and add to your freezer “pantry” list!
Notes:  Check your fridge and freezer for any leftover veg poultry or sausage that you can add to your pie.  If you use frozen spinach, thaw before adding and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  If desired, add a little shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese to the biscuit dough.

Story:
With days getting shorter and varying degrees of chill in the air, it's officially comfort food season.  This Pot Pie recipe is rich with beans, greens and optional leftover veg and turkey!  Feelings of calm and comfort are expressed and elicited by certain dishes.  What foods soothe you?  When we are upset, some foods let us “crunch” through frustration.  This week’s Healing Secret of Food encourages us to be aware of our feelings before, during, and after eating.

Mac & cheese, soup and stew, meatloaf, baked potatoes, stuffed shells are typical comfort food dishes in American culture.  In my husband's family Chicken and Dumplings would be a comforting and homey meal.  In my family, when we were sick or chilled, we often had "Pastina" Soup made of tiny pasta stars, broth, butter, Parmesan and egg.  Beyond simple comfort, many foods have a physiological and emotional impact.  Carbs are calming.  Proteins provide strength and repair when in need of healing.  Craving crunchy foods can be a sign of frustration or anger as we chew away to let feelings out. 

Deborah Kesten encourages us to tune into our emotional state before, during and after meals.  She observes that by doing so, people consciously make healthier food choices.   Instead of asking "What do I 'feel' like eating?", checking in with our state of feeling glad, sad, mad, disgusted, weary or frustrated puts not only reason but love rather than emotion in the driver's seat.  A genuine respectful and loving approach to eating several times a day, is a healthy wholistic practice.  

"Be with me, abundant God, as I approach feeding my body and soul and nourishing others.  Remind me to slow down and breathe. Companion me, with your abiding presence as I plan what I will eat and serve my loved ones.   Help me to allow shopping and chopping,  stirring and thawing to be an experience of wonder and awe as you provide the nourishment, community and connection I crave.   Beloved nurturer, may your grace fill me with an awareness of you and the plenty you provide my body, my spirit, mind and heart.  May the ways I help feed others, be acts of love as much as possible.  Let it be so."
 

Ingredients:
½ C mayonnaise (olive oil mayo works well or regular mayo)
¼ C maple syrup
2 T raspberry vinegar (or other fruit vinegar, such as apple cider)
1 large bunch of kale, ribs removed and leaves cut in *chiffonade style
2-3 carrots, shredded 
2-3 C cabbage, red or green

Instructions:
Whisk the dressing ingredients together until smooth.  You may also use a hand blender.
Add dressing to prepared vegetables and mix well. 
Let rest in the fridge for a while before serving. 

Notes: *Chiffonade is a slicing technique in which leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, or Swiss chard, or a flat-leaved herb like basil, are cut into long, thin strips.  Stack leaves, roll them tightly, slice them perpendicular to the roll. 

Ingredients can be adjusted up or down to feed a large or small group.  The dressing is also great on a broccoli salad, a fruit salad and baby greens as well as the kale slaw. 

An easy way to remove ribs from kale is to hold the stem end with one hand and with the other hand, squeeze the space where the leaves and kale stem meet to soften that fibrous connection. Run your fingers in the opposite direction along the stem, removing the leaves as you go. It’s kind of like opening a zipper. You can chop the leftover stems and use raw or cooked as you would use celery or compost them. 

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Story:
“Kale Cole Slaw” was one dish served after a recent “pasture walk” at Anathoth Community Catholic Worker Farm
 in Polk County near Luck, Wisconsin (pictured above).  In late July, over 60 farmers, ag experts and friends toured veggie and pollinator gardens and grazing pastures of beef cattle, hogs and chickens.  It was fun to learn and share as we walked. 

The pasture walk was an experience of sustainable farming and how people of all ages work and support each other in restoring the land.  Barb, her husband Mike and others live and work in this 50+ acre parcel and exemplify hard work, loving hospitality, and peace-making.  They are advocates for peace and justice and stand in solidarity with their neighbors and native people of northern Wisconsin.  I hope to stay in touch and share more about food, faith, farming and working for justice.

Anathoth Catholic Worker Farm is based on the study and practice of nonviolence, community, and sustainable living.  It is named after a small village near Jerusalem that is believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah.  Anathoth (pronounced an’ a thoth) also means “an answer or response to prayer” or “poverty”.  Their facebook page describes them even more.

Learn about other Catholic Worker Farms in the upper Midwest by clicking on their names in blue: Saint Isadore Catholic Worker Farm near Cuba City, WI and Lake City Catholic Worker Farm near Lake City, MN.
 

Ingredients: 

Dressing:

¼  C olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice, fresh is best
2 T red wine or other vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp honey or sugar

Salad:      5 C kale chopped or torn into 1' bite-sized pieces 
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt

Optional Additions:
2 C broccoli chopped
½ C nuts:  sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, or chopped walnuts
¼ - ½ C shredded carrots or radishes
½ C chopped or shredded apple
¼ C sliced scallions or red onions
¼ C raisins or dried cranberries
½ C cheese (cheddar pieces or shreds, crumbled Feta, parmesan or other favorite)
Leftover cooked chicken or bacon pieces
Your favorite leftover cooked grain:  wild rice, quinoa, bulgar, brown rice
croutons

Instructions: 

1.Combine dressing ingredients in a lidded jar or bowl.  Shake or whisk well to combine. Dip a piece of kale in the dressing.  Taste and adjust sweetener, salt, and pepper as you like.

2.Rinse kale leaves in cool water.  With one hand, hold on to the thick stem at the end and with the other hand, strip the leaves from the stem.  Compost stems or store in water to saute in a few days with spices!

3. Tear or chop dried kale into bit-sized pieces.  Spin it dry in a salad spinner OR shake dry and place in a dry kitchen towel. Massage the chopped kale with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. Rub with your fingers until leaves look darker in color.

4.In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Stir or shake the dressing once more.  Pour about ? of the dressing on the salad. Toss.  Add extra dressing, as you like.  There should not be dressing “pooled” in the bottom of the bowl.

Preparing Kale:

Rinse kale leaves in cool water to remove all the dirt and dust. 

Hold on to the thick stem end and with the other hand, strip the leaves from the stem.  Discard the stems OR put in a tall container with a small amount of water and keep refrigerated to chop and saute a day or two later.

Tear or chop the dried kale into 1 inch (bite-sized) pieces. 

Spin it dry in a salad spinner OR shake dry and place in a dry kitchen towel.  Fold in the ends of the towel and hold tightly while you spin the whole thing.  The towel will absorb most of the water.

(Optional)  For a more tender raw kale salad, massage the chopped kale with a little olive oil or lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Rub with your fingers until leaves look a bit darker in color.  It really makes a difference and kids love "massaging" the greens".

Story: 

This recipe for “’Massaged’ Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing” is full of nutrients, packed with flavor and may make you into a kale lover. Even kids liked it!  It can be made ahead as the hardy leaves keep well, even with dressing. 

Another recipes made with grade schoolers, it was also demonstrated with younger kids at a local school garden.  They got their hands in the bowl to massage the greens!  Helping kids of all ages grow and/or prepare vegetables and fruit encourages openness to new foods.  Don't we all enjoy getting some coaching in the garden or the kitchen?  If you are curious about a certain food or cuisine, baking bread or fixing your favorite restaurant dish, find someone to "coach" you, even if it's an online cook or a TV chef. 

The recipe and photo above come from Holly, a Canadian mom of 4 who loves to add to her site called "Spend with Pennies".  She suggests we check out how versatile kale can be, saying, "Leftover kale can be stirred into pasta, blended into pesto, and even baked into crispy kale chips, if the craving strikes! The possibilities are endless. I even love a little kale on my pizza when I have it handy."  Holly's other kale recipes include kale with rice, Mexican kale salad, kale pesto, kale chips, kale and sausage soup, and kale mango smoothies. 

Speaking of smoothies, I put blanched kale in a high speed blender with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon. I added blanched seasonal produce like squash, apples, carrots or pears for baby/toddler food my grandkids liked.