One Kale of a Mac and Cheese Recipe

Generally, eating dairy and kale together isn't the best idea.  As long as you get calcium in your other meals, you'll be alright.

I am surprised I haven't written about kale before.  Since I started experimenting with kale last spring, I've grown to like it.  Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat.  One cup contains only 35 calories and 5 grams of fiber.  Protein accounts for 16% of it's calories.  It also has vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K (important to remember for those on Coumadin).  Vitamin A, C and K are extremely important to health.  Plus, the high fiber content can help lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Kale contains oxalates which block the absorption of calcium, so don't eat it with every meal. Generally spacing out your greens and dairy (eating them at different meals) is enough to prevent problems, but people with certain conditions should avoid oxalates all together. Some research has shown that people who have had oxalate kidney stones in the past should restrict dietary oxalate, but other studies have found dietary restriction does nothing to prevent stones.  Talk to your physician if you have kidney stones.

Kale can taste bitter, but it's not as bitter as some other greens (like mustard greens).  When it's cooked well, it's earthy and a little tangy.  When picking kale, pick bunches that are crisp, not wilted.  The more vibrant in color, the better.  Kale should be stored in the refrigerator.  My supermarket has bags of kale (near the bagged spinach) that I love. The bags are already trimmed and that makes it super easy to add a handful of kale to anything.  If you buy kale in bunches, you need to trim the greens from the stems.

Doesn't that look yummy?

Since I started to try to like kale, I've been tossing it in everything.  Today, I decided to make a healthy mac and cheese by tossing in a few cups.  The more times you can expose picky eaters to a vegetable in a non-threatening manner, the more likely they'll try it some other way later.  So, maybe people who think kale is ok in this will be more apt to try kale greens later.  I still don't like straight kale greens, but maybe someday I'll get there.

You could use whatever mac and cheese recipe you want, and just add the wilted kale after you make it.

Kale Mac and Cheese
3 cups of kale, chopped
2 cups of cheese (I used shredded cheddar, separate a handful)
1/2 pound of pasta (I used whole wheat twists)
1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/3 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

The consistency of the blended sauce.

1. Cook pasta.
2. Wilt the kale with the vegetable broth. Basically, put them both in a saucepan until the kale wilts and gets a little tender. 
3. Drain the broth and set the kale aside.  Return the broth to the saucepan.
4. Add the shredded cheese to the saucepan and simmer on low until it's melted.  Add salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and add the sour cream.   
5. I had planned to leave the kale in big chunks.  When I tasted the sauce, the texture was not nice.  So, I added the entire sauce contents to my blender and blended it to make a smoother consistency with smaller chunks. 
6. Mix the sauce and the pasta together in a over proof dish.
7. If you like boxed mac and cheese, you can go ahead and eat it now.  I like baked mac and cheese.  For baked, just top the pasta with the reserved handful of cheese and cook it for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Even non-kale lovers told me they liked this dish.  You can taste the kale, but you can also taste the yummy mac and cheese.  This dish is really not a whole lot lower fat or calories than regular mac and cheese, but it has the benefits of the added kale. 

Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (makes 6)

Calories: 322
Total fat: 15 g
Protein: 15 g
Total carbohydrate: 33 g

• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Sugar: 9 g

If You Can't Beet Them, Enjoy Them

Beets are another one of those foods that I think people only hate because they haven't really had them prepared properly.  I remember those pickled, salad bar type beets of my youth.  They tasted like dirt to me and made a big mess.  We ate them a lot in my house, and I'm not sure why.  I remember scarfing them down first, so I could get it over with.  Whenever I saw beets in the store or on a menu, all I could think of is that super earthy, nasty flavor.

They actually shouldn't taste like dirt at all.  They have a mild, sweet flavor, and the consistency of a cooked carrot.  However, cooking them is very messy and beets will stain everything they come in contact with.  I generally operate on beets on only glass cutting boards and right over the sink.

Beet greens are delicious, and I hate most greens.  They're something that I was never served as a kid, but I think I saw Paula Deen make a batch on television once.  I thought to myself, you can eat beet greens?  I didn't think I'd like them, but I tried them anyway.  They have a milder flavor than most greens and a little bit of sweetness.  They are the only greens that I actually like quite a bit.  Now, when I look for beets I try to find ones that have lots of leafy greens.

Besides healthy greens, beet should be firm, colorful and free of blemishes.  I prefer smaller beets.  I think they have a sweeter, more punchy flavor.  The larger ones, like many vegetables, don't have as strong a flavor.

Beets are actually pretty good for you.  We could all stand to eat more of them.  Ancient Romans used them as medicine, mostly for digestive problems and as an aphrodisiac.  Today, we know they're packed with antioxidants, particularly betanin, which gives them their red color.  Interestingly, it's a different red pigment than you find in most red fruits and vegetables.  Most have anthocyanins.  Overcooking can destroy the betanin.  I'm pretty sure it was destroyed in those sludgy beets from my youth.  A correctly cooked beet still has some texture to it. Beets are also high in folates, vitamin C and potassium.

Beet greens are high in oxalate, which can lead to kidney stones.  If you're prone to kidney stones, the health benefits of beets might not be as seductive.

Beets are relatively low in calories with just 27 calories per half cup.  They are also relatively low in carbs and high in fiber, with about 7 carbs per 1/2 cup and 2 grams of fiber.

Beet greens are delicious, and they add a great punch of color to a plate.

Roasted Beets

Beets

Olive oil

Salt

1. Wash beets well and trim the tops, leaving about 3 inches of stalk.
2. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and a few pinches of salt
3. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to an hour, or until tender.  Time depends on the size of the beets.  Start checking them around 30 minutes in.
4. Let the beets cool.  When cool enough to handle, slip the peels off.  I normally use a paper towel or vegetable scrubber, but the peelings easily come off if you just rub them with your fingers or you can use a peeler or paring knife.
5. You can serve the beets whole or you can slice and serve in a salad.

Beets are delicious by themselves or in a salad

Beet Greens and Onions 

Modified from simple recipes

1 pound beet greens
1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion or to taste
1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup of water

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/6 cup of cider vinegar

1. Chop the greens into the bite size pieces.
2. Saute the onions in olive oil for about five minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for another minute.  Add water, sugar and red pepper.
3. Toss in beet greens.  Mix well.  Cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until tender. Stir in vinegar.

The vinegar is just a splash, really.  Don't make the mistake of adding too much.  I normally just add a few slices of onion.

Beet greens.

Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (0.5 cup each of beets and greens)

Calories: 74
Total fat: 3.6 g
Protein: 2.6 g
Total carbohydrate: 9.6 g

• Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g
• Sugar: 4.3 g