K is for Kale

So I have been fascinated by kale ever since I read this article about it (http://www.refinery29.com/kale-smoothie-recipe) on one of my favorite websites, Refinery29.com. The article was about a kale smoothie, but it was also about all the amazing health benefits kale has, like the ability to fight off cancers, nourish your hair, skin, and nails, as well as helping to get ride of under eye circles. It also has a ton of vitamins and is low-cal. I knew I wanted to try to incorporate this super food into one of my meals and I found this super easy recipe for "Baked Crispy Kale" online from SteamyKitchen.com (http://steamykitchen.com/6926-crispy-kale-recipe.html) It was fantastic!

Here's what I did:

This is the kale I purchased yesterday at the farmer's market! For those of you who don't know what kale looks like, here it is. It's a leafy green vegetable that looks like lettuce but isn't.

I then washed and separated all the pieces of kale and towel dried the leaves. I don't have a salad spinner like the recipe suggests I use to dry the kale with, but you know what? Beggars can't be choosers.

I then ripped the kale into bite sized pieces and made sure that all the pieces were separated from their stalks. I put the pieces on a baking sheet.

Then I drizzled olive oil on the kale and made sure to evenly coat them with the oil by mixing it together with my (clean) hands. 

 

I then put the kale in the oven at 325 for twelve minutes. The recipe said not to salt the kale until after it was out of the oven. I paired my kale crisps with this awesome grilled cheese recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Cup of Jo (http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2012/02/best-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-youll.html). This woman is literally a goddess and this grilled cheese was basically heaven. The recipe called for bacon, but I don't like bacon so I made it the vegetarian way (bacon-less).

Here's what I did:

I went to Fresh & Easy and got sourdough bread and I took two slices.

I then took a piece of white cheddar cheese and broke it into strips and lay them diagonally on a slice.

I cut up half an avocado (I gave the other half to my sister who was also making a sandwich) and put the avocado slices on the slice of bread sans cheese.

I then squeezed some Sriracha (basically one of my favorite things ever) on the slice with the avocado. I was really excited that the recipe called for this as I love spicy things and the idea of grilled cheese with a little kick makes my mouth water.

Then I put the cheese slice on a greased griddle and waited for the cheese to be melt-y before I slapped the other half on and flipped the sandwich over.

I'm actually insanely proud that nothing fell out of the sandwich as I was making it because I usually have incredible trouble flipping things. I can not flip an egg or a pancake for the life of me. Yes the avocado shifted a little, but everything stayed in! Yay! When it was golden brown I put it on a plate with my kale crisps. 

 

 

 

 

My finished meal is below vvvv

Holy cheese it was delicious!! The kale crisps were salty and delicate and shattered in my mouth with a great crunch. My sister tried one and said "tastes like brussles sprouts" (which we both love) so all positive reviews there. My sandwich was melty and spicy and the avocado made it super creamy. For anyone who likes avocado putting it with grilled cheese is a fantastic and unique way of incorporating avocado into food. 

It also just looks pretty. I would totally make both of these things again!

 What was really nice about this meal was that it was so easy to make! In all it took twenty minutes or so. It was great for summer with all the colors and had really big flavor. In all I would say both of these recipes are ones that I would keep and make for friends.

Look out for another post tomorrow! It will include another recipe and a little background on my blog. Until then, enjoy another photo of me enjoying my lunch. 

Please excuse the workout gear and messy hair.