Marin mama’s favorite kale recipes

It’s the day after Halloween and I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for some healthier fare today.  When I need to detox from too many sweets, wine and pizza, I tend to gravitate towards something made with kale, whether it be a smoothie or salad.  So today I thought I would share with you my favorite kale recipes from the blog in-case you were looking to detox with some kale as well.

Let’s start off the with my favorite kale salads.  I love kale because it lasts for 1-2 weeks if stored properly in the refrigerator, and kale salads can be made ahead of time for dinner or an event.  They also for last 3 days, so you can make up a salad on Monday and have it for dinner or lunch Tuesday and Wednesday.  Kale does not wilt or get soggy like other lettuces, plus it’s jammed packed with nutrition!

Lacinato kale salad.  This is my all time FAVORITE kale salad, as well as Zoe’s, and if you follow my weekly menu then you already know that because it’s on my weekly dinner menu every week.  This salad has turned kale haters in to kale lovers.  I also put together a video on how to make this salad.  The video is long, but pretty informative as I show you how to pick the best head of kale, as well as how to wash, de-stem, thinly slice and de-stem kale.

Kale and ricotta salata salad.  This is my second favorite kale salad, and John’s and Eli’s favorite.  The ricotta salata cheese adds a nice salty flavor to the salad and paired with the minced shallots in the dressing, it’s a winning combination.

Miso kale salad with miso roasted tofu.  This is another family favorite salad and one that gets made quite often when we’re wanting a hearty, but meatless meal.  The dressing is so creamy that I find myself easily eating a whole head of kale.  The miso tofu doesn’t need to be made, but the tofu turns this salad into a complete meal.

Kale salad with pear, toasted almonds and aged Gouda. This is such a great fall and winter salad and it’s so simple to make. My kids love this version with the pear and the salty aged Gouda.  The dressing is a simple combination of lemon juice and olive oil.  This is a great seasonal salad to serve up for Thanksgiving.

Kale salad with delicata squash, almonds and aged cheddar.  Here’s another favorite fall salad of mine.  It’s amazingly delicious with the caramelized roasted squash paired with the toasted almonds and the aged cheddar.  I love making this up when I’m craving a healthy vegetarian lunch. My kid’s are not big fans of the delicata squash, but I love it in this salad.  This is another perfect salad to serve up for Thanksgiving.

Kale, cranberry, apple and toasted almond salad with lemon dressing.  This is a sweeter kale salad and is totally vegan.  This is the first kale salad that I ever tried and the first kale salad recipe that I posted on my blog.  I usually introduce this salad to friends who are new to kale, as it hooks them every time.  This is also a great salad for those of you that can only find curly kale, as the sweet dressing massaged into the kale takes away the bitter taste of the curly kale.

I have more delicious kale salads for you to check out, but the ones listed above are my favorites.  Stay tuned next week when I will post the recipe for this kale, Brussels sprout and toasted almond salad.

Let’s move onto my favorite kale smoothie and juice. Smoothies and juices were my first introduction to kale.  They are a great way to disguise kale.

Kale and spinach smoothie.  I make this smoothie all of the time, like weekly!  It’s my smoothie of choice, and when I drink one up, I feel strong!  It’s jammed pack with nutrition, as you’re getting 3-4  kale leaves plus 2 cups of spinach in this smoothie.

Mean green juice.  When I have time to juice, I make this up.  I love the spicy flavor that the ginger gives to this juice.  I don’t have a juicer, but in this post I show you how to make up this juice without a juicer.

Here are some of my favorite recipes that incorporate cooked kale.

Pasta with kale, lemon and toasted walnuts.  This is such and easy, healthy and family approved weeknight dinner.  It’s a great way to get your kids to like kale.  I  love it made with regular pasta as shown in the photo below.

I also love it made with whole-wheat pasta.

Mashed potatoes with kale.  I can’t wait to make up these potatoes this fall.  My kids love these potatoes, and it’s another great way to add some nutrition and texture to plain old mashed potatoes. Wheat berries with charred onions and kale.  This is a great side dish or it can serve as a complete meal for lunch or dinner. I love the chewy texture of the wheat berries and the flavor from the charred onions. Yum!

I have a whole kale recipe section on my blog that shows all of my kale recipes, so check it out!

What is your favorite way to enjoy kale?

Feel free to link up your recipes in a comment below.  I’m always looking for new kale recipes!