K is for Kale [A-Z Blog Challenge 2015]

Experiments From Auntie's Test Kitchen

Intro  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Conclusion



                                                                                                                    

K is for Kale

That's pretty funny right there,
I don't care who you are.

OK, y'all, this is the most highfalutin food I've dealt with so far.  Quite honestly, I almost didn't do this one because this substance has been hyped so much.  For example this video states, "A cup of kale actually matches, and sometimes surpasses a cup of milk in terms of calcium content."  First, how does a food match or sometimes surpass another?  I didn't know Kale (or any other food) could run a race.  Second, I looked up the nutrition information for these items:

1 cup of kale = 100 mg of calcium
1 cup milk = 300 mg of calcium 

I realize that I'm no mathematician or nutritionist, but my basic math skills taught me enough to know that 300 is greater than 100, so 100 doesn't "match or sometimes surpass" 300.  Do these people really think we're that stupid?

Anyway...

Despite all the of hype and misinformation, I wanted to know if this veggie was worth the time and money, plus, it's hard to find foods that start with k.  I tried three different experiments:

I sautéed the Kale with olive oil and salt.  I plated it up with a steak and my failed attempt at Hash Brown Casserole.  The taste was pretty good.  The next time I try it, I'll add some onion to the mix.

I know I'm messing with a classic, but I added a bit of Kale to the "Link's Patented Peanut Butter Smoothie" in place of the spinach.  The trick is to not use as much kale as you would spinach and to add a few more frozen blueberries than the normal smoothie. It didn't taste bad, but I just didn't feel right about it.

Kale chips have been presented as a healthy alternative to potato chips.  Made simply by coating kale pieces in olive oil and salt, spreading them on a baking dish and baking them at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, turning--ok--stirring them around--midway in the cooking time.  These weren't good at all and made me nauseous.  I won't be trying this again.

So, the consensus on kale is that I will partake of it once in a while, but it's not going to be a routine part of my diet.  The nausea-producing chips ruined it for me.