Kale? It's Edible?

Purple Kale

Not too many people consider kale as a particularly edible vegetable.  It's tough, bitter and usually just stuck on the side of your plate as a garnish.  Not the most appetizing or tantalizing of uses.  But lately, there seems to be more and more talk about how wonderful kale is - a supposed "super vegetable."  Filled with enough Vitamin A, C and K to last you a week and more minerals than I can keep track of, kale seems to be more than a dried up garnish.  

Super veggie or not, kale was not on my list of "need to try foods."  I have to admit, I have never in my life been tempted to chow down on a bunch of kale.  I'm not sure too many people have for that matter.  But as a foodie, there's only so many kale-based recipes I can read before I feel the need to get in the kitchen and do some experimenting.

Raw Kale Salad w/ Root Vegetables

I happened to come across some crazy purple kale (pictured above) at the farmer's market that looked a lot better than I thought it would taste.  When I got it home, I washed it and stuck in the fridge and went to work on researching any recipe that made kale looked even mildly enticing.  I found one on VegetarianTimes.com, "Raw Kale Salad with Root Vegetables", that looked decent enough and I gave it a shot.  Well, I have to say, I might be a kale convert!  This salad AND the kale were delicious.  I never thought I'd say it, but kale is not only quite edible, but also very tasty!

Watermelon Radish

Click here to view the recipe.  The recipe called for Lacinato kale - some specific type of kale that's supposedly a little more tender than your regular old kale.  But I used what I found at the farmer's market instead and it worked out fine.  I also subbed out the called for rutabaga and turnip for more carrots and the watermelon radishes that I also picked up at the market (see picture on right).  Both substitutions worked great and really brightened up the whole salad!  Plus, the home-made candied pecans that were part of the recipe were to die for.  I really hope you give this recipe a try, or other kale recipes you may find.  This once tossed aside vegetable really can be transformed into a delicious dish!