How to Prepare...Kale.

This batch of Redbor Kale came to us from Gee Creek Farm. As Lyle the farmer said "they have been frost kissed to make them nice and sweet." I believe that the various kales are the most successful of the greens, the kids seem to gobble it up. I know the Christina and Teacher Beth especially love the kale days. Loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, and packed with fiber, calcium and potassium, kale should be staple of everyone's winter diet.

There are so many ways to cook kale; braising, steaming, stirfry, or it can just be eaten raw. At ChildRoots I've found that roasting is the way go. I love the effect that roasting has on kale, it gives it a little more sweetness and you don't lose so much of the texture.

After soaking the kale in cold water, let it drain for a few minutes.
Then lay it flat on a large cutting board. Notice how I pulled the twisty tie ends toward the end of the stems.
Then slice the kale in a width the you like, being aware of the twisty tie. We feed the stem ends to the guinea pig, rats, and Bunny FuFu.
Toss the kale strips with olive oil, thyme and salt.
Find a sheet pan that makes the kale looks crowded. Then place in a hot oven, I use a 450 oven at CR.
Roast until the top layer is brownish, and you can start to smell the kale. It take about 15-20 minutes.
At CR the kale then gets moved to the steam table until service. At home I would turn the oven off and leave it in there until you're ready.
When bowling up for service I toss in some more olive oil and salt.
I can't reccommend enough that roasted kale goes fantastically well with roasted sweet potatoes or squash.