Resources and Tools for Kale Fans (including Gift Ideas)
There are tons of ways to cook and eat kale, but without the right tools and resources on hand, cooking with kale can be a chore. Below, we take a look at some interesting resources and handy tools that will make cooking with this nutritious green leafy vegetable a pleasure!
Cookbook Starring Kale
In Kale: The Everyday Superfood, Marybeth Lambe MD FAAFP delivers 150 mouthwatering recipes featuring kale. Covering everything from smoothies and snacks to salads and soups, this inspiring cookbook also contains handy labels to help kale fans with special dietary requirements identify recipes that are vegan, paleo, gluten-free, or ideal for omnivores. To order a copy of this fascinating kale cookbook for yourself or as a gift, go to Amazon.com (or Amazon.co.uk if you live in the UK).
Kale Stripper
Meet the Kale Trimmer (aka Kale Stripper)! Designed by Chef'n, this small but mighty tool helps you separate kales leaves from the stems in a snap! All you have to do is slide a kale stem through one of the eight holes, and this ingenious little tool will strip the leaves off in a fraction of the time it would take to separate those leaves by hand. In addition to trimming kale, this ingenious little device also strips collard, chard and herb leaves from stems. To learn more, head to Amazon.com (or Amazon.co.uk if you live in the UK).
Kale Powder
Using organic kale powder in smoothies, soups, sauces and dips is a great way to reap the health benefits of kale when the fresh stuff is out of season. When dried and powdered, the water content of kale is reduced to almost zero, which makes kale powder an extremely concentrated source of nutrients. A study published in the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, for example, found that 100 grams of air-dried kale contained a whopping 158 mg of carotenoids. And, compared with air-dried leaves, the average amount of carotenoids in freeze-dried kale was even 9% higher. Kale powder made from freeze-dried organic kale is available from Amazon here.
Tips for Smoothie Fans
The mature leaves of curly kale you find in the grocery stores have a strong flavor and smell, which can easily become overpowering in a smoothie. But don't despair, it is possible to make kale smoothies that actually taste good! For general tips on how to whip up delicious, nutrient-packed smoothies starring kale, click here. Or, if prefer actual recipes over tips, check out a well-rounded green smoothie cookbook such as The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet by smoothie expert Tracy Russel.
Masticating Juicer
Juicing kale is an excellent way to use up a lot of kale fast, while adding a multitude of vitamins to your diet. However, the popular centrifugal juicers you see in the shops have been designed to extract juice from solid, juicy fruits, not from leafy greens. By contrast, masticating juicers, such as the Kuvings Masticating Juicer pictured here, work by crushing and squeezing fruit and vegetables rather than by grinding them, which makes them very efficient at juicing leafy greens such as kale. To learn more, check out our in-depth article on the best juicers for kale & spinach.
