Kale is NOT Tasty! Here are 7 Ways to Hide Kale Flavor and Eat More Kale
Do you like kale?
I bet the answer is not always a straight yes. Especially if you’re asking kids this question.
But did you know that you can actually make this not-so-tasty vegetable taste pretty OK?
You can even make it taste great if you know how to cook kale right.
Yes, you can transform this dark leafy green into something awesome, and I’ll teach you how to prepare kale and what to do with kale to make it palatable to your whole family.
Maybe it won’t be an instant favorite but I guarantee you, they will start appreciating kale more and start to think, “Heeeeey, it’s not so bad after all!”
What is Kale?
So what is kale, anyway?
It’s actually a dark green leafy vegetable with thick leaves.
This vegetable is from the cabbage family, a cruciferous just like collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.
While most of you are familiar with green kale, there is also purple kale. The leaves may either be curly or smooth, and the most popular kind is Scots kale or the curly kale.
And yes, it has curly leaves, just like its name!
It has a thick stalk, and it’s not exactly everyone’s favorite green in a salad.
But you know something?
Kale is KING.
Absolutely. Kale is up there when it comes to the ranks of super health green veggies.
It’s packed with a ton of beneficial, nutritious compounds.
Don’t be surprised if kale is medicinal because it is!
There are tons of nutrients and health benefits that you can get from kale - and I’ll give you a more in-depth explanation of that in the next sections.
What Does Kale Taste Like?
Kale can have a bitter taste.
Some people also say it’s bland.
These two are often the most common adjectives that come to people’s minds when asked to describe the “flavor” of kale.
So… Not exactly a jar of sweets or a salty bag of chips, huh?
Nope, but don’t just the book by its cover.
It may taste bitter or bland but kale SHOULD be in your weekly or even daily meal plan!
Why?
Why Should You Eat Kale?
It is loaded with nutrients and health benefits that make it a must-have in your daily diet.
In the next sections, I will expand more on the benefits of this amazing superfood.
How Many Calories in Kale
A serving of raw kale contains 33 calories. To break it down, there are 6 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber.
Nutrition Facts on Kale
Now let’s talk about the nutrients you can get from eating kale.
Did you know that 67 grams of kale contain the following nutrients (daily value)?
- 206% Vitamin A
- 684% Vitamin K
- 134% Vitamin C
- 9% Vitamin B6
- 26% Manganese
- 9% Calcium
- 10% Copper
- 9% Potassium
- 6% Magnesium
And there are other vitamins in smaller amounts that can be found per serving of raw kale, too! These include Vitamin B2, B3, B1, phosphorus, and iron.
Health Benefits of Eating Kale
What can you expect from eating kale? The following are among the nutrientional benefits that kale offers.
1. Strengthens the Immune System
After checking the nutritional profile of kale, it is not surprising that this leafy green vegetable supports a strong immune system.
The vitamin C content in kale feeds your cells and helps them perform their vital functions.
This vitamin also promotes collagen synthesis (1), a structural protein in the body that helps fight against aging.
2. Improves Eyesight
Kale contains important nutrients such as zeaxanthin and lutein, which help protect your eyes.
This is why if you are regularly receiving these nutrients from your diet, this helps reduce eyesight problems.
These carotenoid antioxidants keep you at a lower risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.
3. Helps you lose weight.
Are you hoping to lose a few pounds?
Or perhaps you want to maintain your desired weight?
Either way, you can benefit from eating kale. In fact, it is a weight loss/weight management-friendly vegetable because of its low-calorie content.
Plus, kale is packed with water and fiber, so it keeps you satiated longer. Your weight loss goals will be supported by eating foods that contain a lower density of calories and a higher value of nutrition.
Overall, munching on kale chips or other dishes in which kale is the main ingredient is a much better option if you are trying to lose or maintain your weight.
Kale: A Real Superfood
This is not actually a surprising fact, considering the abundant nutrients in kale.
Kale is indeed the world’s - or at least one of the world’s - most nutrient-dense and super healthy foods.
There is barely any fat in kale, in fact, the only type of fat in kale is omega-3 fatty acid, which is an ALA.
Since kale is packed with nutrients, low in fat and calories, and high in protein and fiber, it is definitely nutrient-dense and a genuine superfood in every sense of the word!
Does Kale Really Fight Cancer?
There have been some questions about the cancer-fighting properties of kale.
Is it true at all?
The answer is - possibly.
Cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cancer cells in the body.
According to studies, kale contains compounds designed to protect the body against cancer. One compound is sulforaphane, a material that helps fight cancer formation right from the start, and at the molecular level.
There are also other substances in kale that can potentially fight cancer such as the indole-3 carbinol (2). By eating this cruciferous vegetable, as well as other cabbage family members, you can possibly reduce your chances of developing cancer.
Beta Carotene in Kale
As you may have seen in the nutritional profile of kale, this vegetable is rich in vitamin A.
But to be more precise, it is beta-carotene that is abundant in kale. This is an antioxidant that turns into vitamin A.
This is why with a good amount of beta carotene in the body, more levels of vitamin A are stored, which is important in keeping your eyes healthy and even help slow down aging.
What to Do with Kale
With all of these amazing benefits of kale, the next question is - how do you eat kale?
You are probably aware that it does not exactly taste amazing on its own, and it has more of a bitter and bland, which is not quite an exciting combo.
So how can you prepare kale to make it more palatable and delicious, which will entice your taste buds to have it more often?
There are a few things you can do -
How to Prepare Kale and Actually Enjoy Eating It!
Kale can be eaten raw or cooked.
You can also dehydrate or bake kale to turn it into crispy kale chips. You can flavor kale chips with cheese, paprika, or other herbs.
Or if you want to eat kale raw, then why not add it to your burger, toss it in your salad, or make burrito shells out of kale?
There are so many ways to enjoy eating kale, and I have just the thing to give you some ideas on how to make it happen.
How to Cook Kale
Yes, you CAN cook kale!
There are a variety of kale recipes you can try to add flavor and enhance the texture of this nutritious cruciferous vegetable.
For instance, you can boil or steam kale.
It is a crunchy green veggie that you can even add to your salad, even if it is cooked.
Braising or boiling it is also a good way to enjoy this otherwise bland vegetable.
Boiled kale is actually quite delicious. It is just a matter of adding some seasoning to it such as salt, pepper, and some flavorful common medicinal herbs like parsley, oregano or garlic.
Have you tried kale pasta before?
Or what about kale pizza?
Maybe kale lasagna?
All of these dishes can be made even more nutritious with a generous serving of added boiled kale. Yes, you can cook kale in your pasta, pizza, or lasagna dishes!
Now, here’s another great cooked kale recipe for you below...
Easy Kale Soup
Kale soup is a fantastic, warming dish that is also very easy to cook and prepare.
You can add in other vegetables, too, aside from kale such as spinach, cabbage, and carrots.
What is great about kale in soups is that it does not end up getting too mushy when cooked. It still retains a reasonable toughness to its texture with a nice crunch to the stalk.
But another thing I love about kale in soups is that even when you simmer it for a prolonged period of time, it tends to become softer without losing a lot of its nutrients.
You can try making kale stew, quinoa, and even add it to your white bean to your soup, which is good enough to become a constant favorite kale dish.
Sauteed Kale
Another no-fuss way on how to cook kale is by sauteeing it.
If boiling or steaming kale gets a tad boring for you, you can simply sautee this cruciferous with some olive oil, garlic, and onion. Then, near the end, you can squeeze in some lemon juice and add a dash of Briggs amino acids which tastes a lot like soy sauce.
This makes an amazing side to compliment your main dish. You can prepare it every meal if you wanted to or a couple of times a week.
To make your kale even softer, add some water and let it boil a bit before putting some soy sauce and lemon juice.
How to Make Excellent Kale Salad (That Tastes Great!)
I know what you’re thinking - kale is so not tasty at all. So why eat it raw?
Well, the nutrients in kale are more intact when raw. But if you think the taste is not at all appetizing, you can simply make a nice salad dressing that will cover up the bland taste of kale.
To keep it simple, some lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper should make a good seasoning to raw kale.
Quick Kale Salad Recipe
Here is a quick and simple kale salad recipe for you to try with an easy-to-prepare dressing:
- 3 cups of raw kale
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ½ cup assorted raw berries
- Salt and pepper
Toss the kale, nuts, and berries in a bowl with the liquid ingredients. Then, let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
How to Make Kale Chips
Snacking on kale chips is without a doubt much more nutritious than a bag of potato chips.
Or a box of doughnuts.
So to have a healthy snack within your reach when hunger strikes, why not make kale chips?
Just arrange your kale leaves in a baking pan, season with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, then bake it up! There are your yummy, crispy, healthy kale chips right out of the oven!
Dehydrating Kale
Or…
You can try dehydrating kale to make it even crispier.
I would use a dehydrator for that, but just be sure to long stalks are removed.
Then when ready, season it with vegan cashew cheese, paprika, or your other favorite spices and herbs.
Check out the video below to learn about Dehydrating Kale.
How to Make Kale Burrito
Do you like burritos?
Forget the usual wheat bread and simply use your kale as your wholesome wrap.
Not only is it gluten-free, which is perfect for people with sensitivities to gluten but it is also rich in fiber that is great for keeping you regular and eliminating properly.
Basically, you do it just the way you make your burrito, with your rice and beans and all that. But instead of wrapping it in pita bread, you use burrito to wrap the filling.
Yum!
To Cook or Not to Cook Kale… That is the Question
You’re probably wondering if you are better off cooking kale or not.
Technically, there are more nutrients in raw kale than cooked kale.
But at the same time, you want to entice your taste buds to enjoy kale more, which is sometimes not possible with raw kale.
If you are not a big fan of eating a kale salad, you can also enjoy raw kale by adding it to your smoothie.
Blend it up with your bananas, berries, and some nut milk, and your kale and fruit smoothie is ready to go!
It’s a great post-workout drink or an on-the-go breakfast if you have no time to cook something good and healthy.
How to Store Kale
There are a couple of ways to store kale.
For instance, you can just put it in the fridge, in a paper bag and tucked in the crisper inside your fridge.
This is a good space to place your kale when you are planning to use it sooner. But if you are intending to cook or eat up your kale in a week, the best way to store it is by freezing.
How to Freeze Kale
Kale should last for a reasonable length of time when stored properly.
These are hardy veggies that do not wilt quickly because of the naturally thick leaves it has.
When just placed in the fridge, raw kale can last between 5 and 7 days.
But if frozen, kale should be good up to 8 months!
That’s a great way to have kale ready for your smoothie or other recipes, and you can just thaw the kale and it is good to go for your recipes.
How Long Does Kale Last?
So how do you freeze kale?
It’s actually pretty simple and straightforward.
To freeze kale, simply remove the stems and just keep the leaves. Put the leaves in a zipper bag and seal.
Before you do, be sure to rinse the leaves carefully in water to get rid of some impurities.
That’s all there is to it in freezing your kale!
Hooray for Kale!
Kale is indeed highly nutritious and good for you.
With loads of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and antioxidants in kale, it is definitely something that you need to eat more of each day.
So go get your kale, shop for these cruciferous vegetables fresh, store them properly, and try these recommended kale recipes that you and your family will enjoy!
ANNETTE REEDER
Annette holds a B.S. in Nutrition plus a Diploma of Biblical Studies. She has been studying food, nutrition and medical science for over 30 years. "I am here for one purpose, to awaken you to the simple vibrant health that God has designed for you!"
Enter your text here...
