A Balanced Babe Guide To: Cooking With Different Types of Kale + A Kale Spring Salad

Cooking with different types of kale is easy as 1, 2, 3 with this Balanced Babe guide!

I’ve talked to folks who try to get on the kale band wagon and seem to fall right off because they aren’t using the right type of kale for specific recipes. If you’ve tried making a salad with curly kale, you’ve probably sat there chewing one bite for a minute straight. Obviously that’s going to turn you off from eating kale-licious meals. 

Well never fear! We already know that kale is a super food that’s not going out of trend any time soon. Kale is bursting with Vitamin K, calcium and other vital vitamins and minerals, so why would you not want to experiment with it in your kitchen?  I’ve got a Balanced Babe Guide on cooking with different types of kale, and I’m including a delicious spring salad recipe using dinosaur kale. 

A Balanced Babe Guide To: Cooking With Different Types of Kale

Using Curly Kale:

Curly kale is the most common type of kale that you’ll see in grocery stores and on restaurant menus. It’s hearty, has a frilly appearance, and is tough to chew when eaten raw. You’ll want to use curly kale for recipes like kale chips, kale side dishes, and to wilt in soups. Red kale is also considered curly kale, but just has a different pigment. I absolutely love adding curly kale to my breakfast recipes – here’s a recipe for simple simmered kale (you can add an optional egg, if you’re and ovo-vegetarian).

Using Red Russian Kale: Red Russian kale is another flat leaf kale which is good for use in salads. It tastes sweeter than the other varieties, but many of its most popular recipes call for cooking it. The simplest way to eat Russian kale is by simmering it slowly in a frying pan with coconut oil, garlic and chopped white onion. It’s a perfect side dish and is a perfect addition to a macro-bowl. 

Using Dinosaur Kale:

Dinosaur kale is also known as Tuscan or lacinto kale. This is the type of kale that you’ll want to use in your salad recipes. It’s easy to chew and break down raw, and doesn’t taste as tangy as curly kale. Let’s just say that this is a good entry-level kale to eat if you want to add more of this leafy green to your diet. You’ll still want to shred the leaves into ribbons are chop them thoroughly enough in your salads. 

Spring Salad: Dinosaur Kale With Grapes, Pine Nuts and Radishes

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of dinosaur kale
• 10 grapes
• 3 radishes
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Cut the radishes into thin slices
2. Cut the 10 grapes in half
3. In a salad bowl, add all of the ingredients, toss together, and serve!