The Holy Kale

Oh kale, how I overlooked you for so long....

I used to think kale was a throwaway, nothing interesting or tasting kind of veggie. I thought it was something hippies liked to eat because it was easy to grow, cheap, and seemed a little too much on the healthy side. 

But I am happy to say that I was wrong. Kale may be a hippie friendly veggie, but it tastes great and much easier to prepare than I previously thought! 

I have always known that you need to remove the ribs and stems of kale before you can eat it, but I used to lay each individual leaf on a cutting board and painstakingly run my knife around each stem. As you can imagine it took a long time because kale cooks down into nothing! 

Now, what I do is simply hold a piece of kale by the stem in one hand and my knife in the other. Then I swipe my blade along the stem along both sides and I'm done! No more laying each piece on a cutting board for me; I have way too many better things to do. 

Warm Kale and Butternut Squash Salad - serves 4 - 6 people as a side or 2 - 4 people as a main

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 pinch of salt and pepper

1 medium / small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1 cm square pieces

1 large bunch of kale, stems and ribs removed and sliced into ribbons

3/4 cup of sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and roast the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper for about 20 minutes, or until squash is tender. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot at medium low heat and cook the onion until it's soft, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and cook until the leaves are wilted, about another 2 - 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

3. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and mustard, pour over top of kale. Add butternut squash and almond slices. Toss to combine. 

4. Serve warm and enjoy either as a side dish or even as a satisfying main meal. 

Come on, you know you want to find if this salad is the holy kale for you too. Try it!