All Hail To The Kale!

OK – I’ll say it again. Is there a food on this earth that doesn’t have it’s own day? Yup, you guessed it, today is National Kale Day. Last year was the first ever National Kale Day, and someone, somewhere declared the first Wednesday in October from here on out to be a major celebration of this vegetable with a cult-like following.  What?  You don’t have an event planned?

I don’t even know how I found out about National Kale Day, and normally I would just roll my eyes and shake my head, but hey, it’s a good blog prompt right?   I have a new baby Kale salad recipe to share with you soon, but since it’s such a big and important day to celebrate kale, let’s learn all about this weird and trendy leafy green and share a round up of some really creative ways to use it. 

First – a few fun facts:

• There are over 50 varieties of kale.
• Kale becomes sweeter after a frost, so if you didn’t love it last summer, try it again in a few weeks.
• Kale is one of those cruciferous vegetables, which can help prevent cancer.
• Larger kale leaves should be massaged if you’re planning to eat them raw– give them a gentle rub with some olive oil and kosher salt to tenderize them before adding them to your salad.
• Kale can interact with some thyroid medications if you eat really large amounts.

Are you a kale lover or a hater? Let’s see if some of these recipes can turn you around…

Kale Salad with Roasted Pumpkin Cranberries and Goat Cheese|Heather Christo

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Bacon and Pecorino|Sugar and Grace

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apples with Quinoa Kale and Tahini Maple Dressing|Edible Perspective

Kale Salad with Warm Cranberry Vinaigrette|Gimme Some Oven

Kale Blood Orange and Fennel Salad|Craving Something Healthy

Grilled Kale & Red Papper Tuscan Pasta Salad|Half Baked Harvest

Kale Mushroom and Cheddar Bake|Simply Recipes

Kale Tortilla Chips|Gratitude and Greens

Cheesy and Vegan Kale Chips|The Kitchn

Blueberry Kale Popsicles|Oh My Veggies

Do you have any favorite ways to love kale?  Please leave a comment or tweet them to me!  Happy Kale National Day  🙂

Eat well!