Sparkle Kitchen

Sparkle Kitchen: So Much Kale!

Kale for breakfast. Kale for lunch. Kale for dinner. And even kale for… dessert?

This is what to do when you have too much kale: find as many ways as you can to prepare it.

Of course this makes our boys groan. But they loved it too. So many ways to eat kale!

Our kale dilemma inspired an entire Martin & Sylvia: More Adventures story. It’s called “So Much Kale.”

In the story, Martin and Sylvia’s family returns from a family vacation to discover that they have – you guessed it – too much kale! And so they dream up new and different ways to use the kale — including TWO kale desserts!

Shall we share some of our Kale Recipes from the story? Here goes!

KALE CHIPS

Have you tried Kale Chips yet? Prepared well, they are REALLY good. Even for non-kale eaters. (So good, everyone fights for the last bit in the bowl.)

In this Friday’s story, this is what Sylvia decides to make for the family for lunch — with Momma’s help.

Kale chips are basically chopped kale that’s baked until it’s crispy and dried. It’s easy and relatively fast!

My favorite recipe (and guide) are here on Everyday Food.

This is the plain-old kale chip recipe — with nothing but kale, olive oil and sea salt.

Add a little brewer’s yeast, and voila! Cheesy Kale Chips! These got even bigger raves.

Great side dish or snack! Crunchy and good.

And of course there are the SECRET Kale Desserts that Daddy makes.

KALE CUPCAKES with SWEET POTATO CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

(Seriously! Think Carrot Cake, but with Kale instead!)

I used a gluten-free muffin mix by Glutino. I added extra spices to the dry part (cinnamon and nutmeg), and I pureed the kale with the oil, just like the instructions say. Also, I used eggs instead of flax seeds. (Note: for the non-vegan recipe, I recommend adding 4 eggs.)

My kids were amazed when I was making these. “The batter is soooo…um…GREEN!”

Yes. It WAS green. And I was tickled about it too. Look at that! It would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

They turned out beautifully — see?

And who kept asking for “just one more”?

Not just Martin and Sylvia, but my kids did too!

CHOCOLATE PUDDING with KALE

Daddy’s second kale dessert is based on [my favorite vegan chocolate pudding recipe] (http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2013/04/raw-chocolate-pudding-3-ways.html), to which we added pureed kale. (And you can’t really taste it. Truly!)

I just blended two leaves of kale (stems removed) along with the liquid part of the recipe, before I added the banana and avocado. I made sure it was finely pureed, and then I added the rest.

I thought it tasted GREAT! My boys don’t love this recipe for pudding the way I do, and so there wasn’t an overwhelming rush for a bowl. (Which means I got to have more of it.) And yes, if you look closely, you can see the tiniest little green specs. But who is looking that closely? Delicious.

We didn’t make Momma’s Breakfast Quiche with Kale, but we did make EGG, SAUSAGE, GARLIC SCAPE and KALE SCRAMBLE

Kale, garlic scapes, turkey sausage and eggs. Served in a tortilla with hot sauce.

Here’s how we make it:

Saute some chopped garlic scapes (or onion) with a little salt until soft. Add shredded kale and cook until tender (just a few minutes for fresh, new kale). Add precooked sausage, cut into bite-sizes. And then added a few whisked eggs. Cook until the egg is firm (but not brown). Serve on warmed tortillas with hot sauce! (And cheese too, if you’re a cheese eater!)

The possibilities are boundless, aren’t they? If you can put kale into pudding, then you can add it to almost anything. Right?

Tell us your favorite recipes for kale. We’d love to add it to our week’s meals! (As we are still bursting at the seams in our garden.)