Spicy Kale Chips

If you love spicy and love chips you gotta try this recipe. Kale is super good for you and this recipe uses minimal fat and is baked – not fried. Just be careful because they are addictive!

Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
1-1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 tsp chili blend
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut stems out of kale leaves and save for your compost pile. Tear into pieces and wash well in salad spinner. Spin until dry. Place large bowl. Pat with paper towel if any moisture remains. Sprinkle oil and spices over leaves and mix well. Using your hands is the most efficient way. Spread onto two cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes. If dry and crisp take out of oven. If they are still a bit damp, stir bake for another couple minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Kale & Rice

More "stuff" from the CSA box to use up. I'm embarrassed to say I've had a bunch of kale sitting in my fridge for several weeks now... waiting, just waiting to be cooked. The most interesting use of kale I found was from my cookbook Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson. This is adapted from that recipe with quantities greatly reduced. I almost cooked it on the stove and I'm glad I didn't because the flavors really came together after cooking for about 6 hours in the crockpot.

Ingredients
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup short grain brown rice
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups chopped kale, stems removed and chopped too
3 cups vegetable stock (I used "unchicken stock" and it was great)

Directions
Heat the crockpot to high and add oil, onion, carrots, and cloves. Stir around for about 10 minutes. Add rest of ingredients, lower heat, and cook until rice and kale are done, about 6 hours. Garnish with vegan parmesan cheese.

Potato Kale Patties

This goes nicely with the Carrot Tahini Soup. With its green hue, I think kids would like it or it would just be fun for St. Pattie's Day.

1-1/2 pounds potatoes
6 ounces kale (organic is best*)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 scallions, chopped (optional)
1 serrano chili, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons potato starch or corn starch
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cut the potatoes into small cubes (about 1/2-inch), put them in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, remove the center stalk from the kale and slice the leaves into strips. When the potatoes are done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. Put the kale into the potato water and cook for 6 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove kale with a slotted spoon to a food processor. Add about 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and pulse to chop fine.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mash the potatoes and add the kale and all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Using a well-rounded tablespoon, form into balls, a flatten into patties. Place them on an oiled baking sheet or, preferably, a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn over and bake for 20 minutes more, until lightly browned.

*There are 12 fruits and vegetables that are considered to be "the dirty dozen" in terms of pesticide load. Kale is one of them. I live in Alaska and organic kale is easy to find. "They say" that if you feel you cannot afford to buy organic, at least buy organic for the "dirty dozen." For more information http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214