So, kale. Totally a nutritional powerhouse and everyone sings its praises to the moon and back, but you know what? It’s kind of a weird green. I mean, I think I dig it. I sure try to dig it. I’ve been working it into more and more dishes, like a kale & fontina mac & cheese recipe I’ve been trying to develop for, oh, months now, but can’t get quite right enough to share.
I’ve had it in green smoothies. That was a little weird … I think I prefer spinach. I’ve made kale chips a half a dozen times and I find them kind of gross (the parts that are still just a little stringy and chewy and most assuredly non-chip-like) and execptionally addicting (the salty crispy pieces) all at the same time.
So I don’t even know. I’ve never tried to massage it, so maybe it’s just not playing nice with me.
I mean, I don’t hate it, I really don’t. I guess I’m just trying to say that, so far, I want to like it more than I do.
What a way to introduce a recipe where kale is one of the stars, eh? Here’s the thing, though. I really really like kale pesto. Sure, the kale is still a little bitter and all, but with garlic and Parmesan and walnuts and a little squeeze of lemon? I totally dig it.
So there is that. I make this pasta dish with kale pesto, for instance, and I pretty much inhale the stuff. Yum.
And this past weekend, I whipped up this pretty darn tasty dip with white beans and kale pesto.
It’s … actually pretty addicting. It’s garlicky, a little nutty, kind of tangy (thanks to all the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar I threw in there to counteract the bitterness of the kale), and it’s healthy! I especially love its green hue – totally perfect for the holidays, especially served up in a red dish.
Not too sure about kale? You know I feel ya. Try subbing out basil pesto instead of the kale pesto. And if you want to make the recipe even faster, you can even use store-bought pesto.