Unlock the Full Potential of Kale: Don’t Discard the Stems!
While many recipes call for discarding kale stems, these sturdy stalks hold a wealth of flavor and nutritional value. Instead of tossing them away, learn how to cook and enjoy them in various ways, transforming them from waste to a delicious and nutritious addition to your meals.
Why You Should Embrace Kale Stems:
- Packed with Nutrients: Kale stems are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, offering a similar nutritional profile to the leaves.
- Delicious and Versatile: With a slightly tougher texture than the leaves, kale stems can be cooked in various ways, adding depth and complexity to dishes.
- Reduced Food Waste: Utilizing the entire kale plant minimizes waste and promotes sustainable cooking practices.
11 Ways to Cook and Enjoy Kale Stems:
- Blend into Smoothies or Juices: Enhance your morning beverage or smoothie with the added fiber and nutrients of kale stems.
- Slice Thin for Texture: Add a satisfying crunch to salads by thinly slicing or shaving kale stems.
- Sauté or Stir-Fry: Cook sliced kale stems with garlic, onion, or other vegetables for a flavorful and nutritious side dish.
- Roast for Crispy Kale Chips: Give your kale stems a head start on the baking sheet before adding the leaves for crispy kale chips.
- Char on the Grill: High heat breaks down the stems’ fibrous texture, adding a smoky flavor to grilled vegetables or salads.
- Purée into a Dip: Blend blanched kale stems with tahini, almond butter, or yogurt for a creamy and flavorful dip.
- Creamy Kale Side Dish: Treat kale stems like spinach or onions, creating a delicious creamed kale side dish.
- Poach in Soup: Add chopped kale stems to vegetable soup for a subtle earthy flavor.
- Slow-Cook in Braises: Include kale stems in slow-cooked greens for a tender and flavorful side dish.
- Pickle for a Tangy Treat: Pickle kale stems for a crunchy and tangy addition to salads, tacos, or sandwiches.
- Batter and Fry: Coat kale stems in tempura batter and deep-fry for a crispy and satisfying snack.
Additional Tips for Cooking Kale Stems:
- Remove the tough ends: Discard the thickest and toughest ends of the stems before using them.
- Cook longer for tougher stems: If using mature kale, cook the stems for a longer time to soften their texture.
- Season to taste: Experiment with different seasonings and spices to enhance the flavor of kale stems.
Embrace the full potential of kale by incorporating its stems into your cooking. With a little creativity, these often-discarded parts can be transformed into delicious and nutritious additions to various dishes, reducing food waste and maximizing the benefits of this superfood.
Keywords: kale stems, cooking kale stems, kale stem recipes, waste reduction, sustainable cooking, nutritious vegetables, healthy eating, versatile ingredients, culinary tips, food hacks.
Purée kale stems into a dip
There is no need to open a can of beans when you have extra stems on hand. The next time you’re in the mood for a creamy dip that resembles hummus, blanch the kale stems in salted water and then blend them with olive oil, garlic, tahini or almond butter, and other spices to taste. Alternatively, combine them with sour cream or yogurt, mayo, avocado, and herbs to create a green goddess version.
Poach kale stems in soup
Chopped the kale stems and added them to the vegetable soup. This vegetable will add a nice, earthy flavor whether you make a creamy purée or keep it chunky, minestrone-style.
This shows how to easily and quickly remove kale leaves from stems. | Cooking Hack
FAQ
Do you eat the stems on baby kale?
Should I remove the stems from kale?
Are kale stalks good for you?
Should I blend kale with the stem?
How do you remove Kale stems?
There are two ways you can remove the stems. My favorite way is with a chef’s knife. But if you’re a beginner cook and not as comfortable using a knife, a leaf stripper is a nifty tool that makes removing the stems so easy! And you’ll need to treat curly kale differently than Tuscan kale.
Which is the best way to eat Kale?
Kale is a high-fiber cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. These vegetables can cause gas and bloating or general digestive discomfort, especially in individuals who are just beginning to eat high-fiber cruciferous vegetables. Cooking kale, rather than eating it raw, and using recipes that call for lemon may reduce digestive side effects. Also effective in reducing gas and bloating is eating one-half teaspoon of fennel seeds(toasted, raw, or candied) after a meal when you experience gas or bloating. Drinking water after consuming a high fiber meal is recommended to help fiber pass through the digestive tract. Tuscan kale (also known as lacinato or dinosaur kale) is easier to incorporate into the diet, tastes better than other types of kale, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Kale is a nutritious high-fiber dark green vegetable that will upgrade any diet.
How do you save Kale stems?
As any good kale devotee knows, the best way to enjoy it is to strip the leaves off the tough, fibrous stems. I do this, but it results in a surplus of stems, which I hate to throw away. Instead, I’ve found that a little tender love and care can save kale stems from the trash (or compost !) and make them into a delicious meal.
Can you strip Kale leaves from slender stems?
The trick was perfect when it came to stripping the leaves from varieties of kale with slender stems. There is one caveat for this hack, though: For kale leaves with thicker stems, you might have some trouble getting the stem through the loop, depending on the width of the loop or the thickness of the stem.