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The Book of Kale: The Easy-to-Grow Superfood, 80+ Recipes

Kale — one of the most nutrient-dense greens in existence — has been growing for thousands of years without any fuss. Yet, despite the fact that kale is lauded as a miracle food, and most people know that they should be eating it, many don't know how to make it taste good. Here, kale-evangelist Sharon Hanna provides more than eighty simple but superb recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Dishes ranging from Kale Chips to Kale and Potato Torta or Scalloped Kale with Browned Butter Sage will blow kale skeptics out of the kitchen. This garden-to-kitchen guide gives readers all they need to know to grow this super-sustainable crop organically — as edible landscaping, on balconies and boulevards and even indoors. And, aspiring locavores take note — purple, silvery-green, frilly, stately Tuscan and rainbow-hued kale can all be grown year-round throughout North America, helping families save hundreds of dollars a year on grocery bills.

Best of all, learn how to teach kids to love kale — both growing and eating it — with inspiration derived from this author's many years as an award-winning coordinator of an inner-city school garden program.

Join the Kale conversation on Facebook.

02There's an ancient green that practically grows itself and thrives almost anywhere!08"I jumped on [The Book of Kale] like a slug on lettuce, not only because of my own extreme enthusiasm for this easy-growing miracle food, but also because it is becoming so rightfully popular."

~Helen Chesnut, Victoria Times Colonist, June 9, 2012

Quail, kale and other delights of summer: Article in the Victoria Times Colonist08"The recipes are creative, putting kale in just about everything, from scones to chutneys"

~Meredith Goad, Portland Press Herald, June 13, 2012

23

You can buy these delicate, high-priced treats — but by the time you get them home they're often in tiny bits. Since they don't travel well, make your own — it's a snap!

You can dry kale in the oven or in a dehydrator. A dehydrator takes longer but may dry the chips more evenly. Large older/thicker leaves work well. Because its leaves are relatively flat and tend to dry evenly, 'Lacinato' can be left whole, without removing the stem. Still, any variety of kale can successfully be made into chips. If you prefer to go gluten-free, use Bragg Liquid Aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.

Ingredients:

Washed kale leaves — enough to fit baking pan in a single layer

Olive, avocado, walnut or grapeseed oil

Sea or kosher salt

Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari soy sauce

Sesame seeds (or experiment with other seasonings — barbecue spice, Spike, prepared rubs or a smidgen of garlic salt)

Parchment paper (if using oven method)

Rub one or both sides of leaves lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt, adding a dash or spray of Bragg's or soy sauce if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Having said this, you can dry the kale leaves completely plain, especially if you think kids might prefer them unadorned, with maybe just a little salt.

In the oven: Preheat the oven to 325F (160C). Place rack in the middle of the oven. Lay the leaves out whole, or in smaller pieces, on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes and check to ensure they're toasting evenly, then continue baking, checking every 5 minutes or so. The leaves should feel overall dry to the touch but should not shatter.

In the dehydrator: To dry kale in a dehydrator, dry as per the usual directions. My dehydrator is very rudimentary with just a small element and no fan, and the kale takes quite a while to dry. Keep checking every hour or so until the kale is adequately dehydrated (as per above).

Excerpted from The Book of Kale by Sharon Hanna. Photograph by Christina Symons

Click here to buy the book

How to Make Kale Chips (Excerpt from The Book of Kale)08Hanna's book covers a short history of kale, different varieties, fun with kids and kale, and, of course, the planting, caring and harvesting of kale[...] But the majority of of Hanna's book is made up of delicious and inventive kale recipes. And yes, it has a kale chip recipe. Tried it, loved it. You will too.

~Sherry A. Firing, The Globe and Mail, August 17, 2012

08The Book of Kale is sure to bring much needed attention to one of the most nutrient-packed vegetable crops in the world. I've researched the nutritional quality of kale for over 12 years and it truly is a superfood. It is high in available nutrients, an excellent source of cancer-fighting glucosinolate compounds, and one of the best sources for carotenoid pigments that contribute to eye health. As a cool-season vegetable, kale grows best in early spring and fall months; however, it is easy to grow year-round in most climates. It is grown as a "baby green" (30 days old), or most often grown to full maturity. Historically, thousand-head kale is the progenitor in which all of the other Brassica oleracea crops (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower) descended. You will not find a vegetable crop with more nutritional value and historical significance than kale. It is just unfortunate that kale has been relegated to the role of a garnish at the salad bar, or on the plate. Sharon Hanna has provided many ways to enjoy this nutrient-dense vegetable, and hopefully this book will help bring this special crop to the prominence it deserves.

~ Dr. Dean A. Kopsell, Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Physiology, The University of Tennessee Advance Praise for The Book of Kale08

"It has real personality and charm and the overall results are delicious."

"The book has integrity, heart and pure deliciousness."

~The Jury, Taste Canada — The Food Writing Awards 2013

070201http://images.bookonedatabase.com/hpd... Canada Award 2013CA0102ProprietaryHAROPHarbour Publishing0101Book One Internal CodeB100690138Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.042012051601WORLD0110.0in028.0in030.4in081.48lb061597815501765131151231Harbour Publishing0102Y20160102ProprietaryTRD26.95CADCA0102ProprietaryTRD26.95USDUS

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 192
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781550175769
  • Genres
  • cookbooks, cooking, reference, gardening, food
  • Release date
  • 2012