Kaleapalooza 2012

                                                              Blue Curled Scotch Kale

                                                           Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach

                                                        Georgia Southern Collard Greens

I am not sure what year of the new food 2012 will be but this month has been a bonanza of dark leafy greens. The newest dirtiest kid in the world should be here around the end of this month and the pregnancy has all been going smoothly. Except for an issue with low iron. It's been suggested that I consume more red meat and dark, leafy greens. I live in a jungle of dark, leafy greens. I feel like I eat so many dark, leafy greens that spinach and kale and collards and arugula should just start poring out of my ears. I love salad! Love it! But a girl can handle only so much. Here are two new ways I am kicking up the kale in this house. 1. Juicin' and 2. Kale chips.

1. Juicin'
I have always imagined myself to be the sort of person that juiced, but have never actually done so. My lovely office mate Marissa lent me her spare juicer and a recipe to try.
My really specific recipe is:
Two handfuls of red grapes and a bunch of kale. I also squeeze in some fresh lime juice because vitamin C can help you absorb iron.

Juicing is fun. I highly recommend it for gardeners. Sometimes I just walk around the backyard and pick random greens to juice together. I have thrown in lettuce and parsley to my previous recipe. Dirtiest Kid got in on the act choosing random fruits and veggies we had to make her own concoction with dubious results. 


2. Kale Chips

I have always been somewhat confused by kale chips. What are they exactly and why bother? And why do they cost $6.00 at Whole Foods?
Hot tip: kale chips = roasted kale. And it is amazing.

Gather a bunch of kale from the garden, wash and then dry. If you don't dry the kale all the way it won't get as crispy. Pull out the thick stalk in the middle and just use the leaves. Sprinkle with oil and salt. Bake in your oven at say 350ish for 12ish minutes. When the edges are starting to brown and they are crispy, pull them out. Tasty snack! I can't imagine they would taste as good from a package as fresh but I can't say I've tried it either.