Nutrition Month 2009:
How to Use Kale In Your Cooking, Not as a Garnish

Kale is a true super-star food, perhaps the "queen of greens".

Many delicious and tender varieties are available fresh almost year round at all Farmers' Markets, even those in northern cold climates in addition to the standard curly varieties usually seen in grocery stores, as decoration on a salad bar, or on your plate in a restaurant.

Wash and remove any tough stems. Shake dry and then chop (either with a good chef's knife or your food processor) into smaller pieces as desired. Then add some of these delicious sight-saving, bone-building and cancer-fighting greens to all your stir-fry recipes, hummus, fresh salads, soups, a topping for pizza, and yes, even added to smoothies!

All kids (and grown-ups, too) love home-made kale chips. Just tear chip size pieces from washed and dried kale leaves, sprinkle with a little vinegar and olive oil, season with a bit of salt, Italian herbs, or even curry, spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer, bake at 350 degrees until crispy (be careful not to burn), which will be about 15 minutes. Let cool a minute and then watch them disappear!