Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad

Kale is insanely good for you. It's packed with Vitamins A & C, and is also rich in beta carotene, potassium, calcium, and phytonutrients that are believed to help fight cancer and repair cells. Kale is like the Hulk of cruciferous vegetables, bulging with nutrients and antioxidant properties.

Serving Size 1 cup, chopped (67 g). Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. (Source: Peer Trainer)

But with all healthy foods, comes the question of taste. It may be a superfood uber-veggie, but if it doesn't taste good, I'm not gonna eat it. (I'm a grown up so I'm allowed to say that). Kale newbies may be dubious, but with the right preparation and wise selection of the type of kale to best fit the dish, this healthy, versatile veggie will become a staple in your diet before you know it.

Left: Scots kale; Right: Tuscan kale (Photo credit: Tuscan kale by Greg Henry, SippitySup)

I most often see two different types of kale at the market. Curly Scots kale and Tuscan kale (also called cavolo nero, black cabbage, lacinato, or dinosaur kale). Curly kale has a hearty texture and a brassy minerality to it. This type of kale lends itself well to wintry soups, stews, even pasta dishes. Either way, it's best cooked to soften the bite a bit. For raw preparations, like salads, or a simple sauté, I much prefer Tuscan kale. I tried making a version of Caesar Salad using both varieties and found that the curly kale was tough to eat raw (like eating raw broccoli), while the Tuscan kale's texture was much more amenable and still held up well under dressing.

Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad

Lately I've been obsessed with this Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad. Adapted from Melissa Clark's recipe from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, I replace pecorino with parmigiano, and add salty, briny anchovies to create a Caesar dressing. I'm a big proponent of chopping my salads, and this one is no exception. Here, I chiffonade big leafy bunches of kale into a pile of ribbons before tossing them in my thick, creamy dressing. Greg from SippitySup makes a very similar riff on this recipe too.

Kale isn't limited to raw preparations, although there is a lot you can do with it on the salad-front. The versatility of this superfood is astounding. You can stir it into mashed potatoes, blend it into a pasta sauce, make oven-baked chips out of it, you can even pulverize said baked chips and sprinkle it over popcorn! Here are some of my favorite kale inspirations:

(Photo credit: Marc Matsumoto, No Recipes)

Sauteed Kale with Raisins & Pine Nuts, for a sweet, nutty, side dish.

(Photo credit: Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks)

Our super green makes even mashed potatoes seem virtuous in this Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes.

(Photo credit: Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks)

This recipe for Winter Pasta turns pureed kale into a sauce. This pasta dish would be great hot or cold.

Kale Chips

Kale Chips make a great crispy snack. Experiment with different seasonings for variety (Old Bay, parmesan, cayenne, vinegar). In fact, the dressing from the Kale Caesar Salad gave my kale chips good cheesy, salty flavor. Just toss the kale in the dressing before baking.

(Photo credit: Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen)

And finally, my favorite way of getting in veggies. No one will suspect healthy vitamins hiding out in a big bowl of Kale-Dusted Popcorn.

*****
Kale Caesar Salad
Fresh, cruciferous ribbons of green coated in salty, garlicky, lemony dressing. This raw Tuscan Kale salad is astonishingly addictive.
Adapted from the Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Chiles and Pecorino recipe in Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Tuscan kale (also called cavolo nero, black cabbage, lacinato, or dinosaur kale)

For the dressing: (Makes 1 cup)
2-oz flat fillets of anchovies packed in olive oil
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup grated parmigiano cheese
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice & zest of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Rinse the kale thoroughly and shake dry. Trim the bottom few inches of the kale stems and discard. Roll the leaves up lengthwise and chiffonade them so that you get thin ribbons. Place in a large bowl.
2. Using a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients for the dressing except the olive oil. Blend until everything is combined. While the food processor/blender is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
3. Toss the kale with as much dressing as you'd like (this recipe makes more than enough – I like to keep extra in the fridge). Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Note: This salad is great for parties because it gets better as the leaves absorb the dressing. Unlike more delicate greens, the kale stands up well and won't get all wilty on you.

Brussels Sprouts have a bad rap. This verdant and sweet vegetable is known far and wide as being smelly, mushy, and slimy, when really the only thing wrong with it is that some people just don’t know how to cook it correctly. Children seem naturally disinclined to like this unpopular vegetable; but then again, so do adults. Once, when visiting Scotland, an innkeeper jokingly told me he liked to start boiling his Brussels sprouts three days before Christmas so they would be ready for the Yuletide feast. He then twisted up his face in a mock illustration of disgust for the poor unloved sprout. Now I realize he was kidding, but obviously this lovely man who made a wonderful breakfast at his inn in Oban had bought into some universal idea that the only way to cook sprouts was to boil the life out of them, and that they were therefore ghastly. Well this horrible rumor needs to end now.

Contrary to popular belief, Brussels sprouts are best when cooked al dente. Sautéed until slightly crisp, they have a lush taste that is both sweet and savory on the plate. If you sat in a hot bath you'd get all pruney, right? Well overcooking Brussels sprouts does the same thing, while also bringing out a sulfuric smell. But all this can be easily avoided if you keep your eye on them and DON'T OVERCOOK.

Brussels sprouts belong to the cruciferous family, which includes cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. As I mentioned last year in my Scary Vegetables post, these foods are super vegetables. Full of antioxidants and vitamins, and thought to have cancer-preventing and fighting agents, Brussels sprouts and its cousins are ridiculously healthy for you.

But if you haven't cooked this unloved veggie before (of if you overcooked it) here are a few tips for the novice cook:

• Don't boil them! Experts in sprout cooking can feel free to cook them however they'd like, but newbies should stick to sautéing or broiling as it's just too easy to overcook your sprouts in a pot of hot water.

• Try cutting your sprouts into quarters before cooking. Brussels sprouts are naturally bulbous and therefore difficult to evenly cook when whole.

• Start cooking your sprouts on a high flame to sear and then lower the flame and cover to cook through. This really brings out the sweetness in the leaves.

• Consider slicing the sprouts thinly so the leaves are slivered.

• Try roasting them in a hot oven (halved with olive oil, sea salt and pancetta).

• If you eat meat, try adding in some pancetta or bacon, which pairs beautifully with sprouts.

Following is my recipe for Pasta with Slivered Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta, Walnuts and Mascarpone Cheese. As I mentioned last week, my daughters powered through this dish, eating each bite without complaint. For two girls who claimed they detested Brussels sprouts, this was a little win for Mom.

Pasta with Slivered Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta, Walnuts and Mascarpone Cheese

Makes: Enough for 6 people

Ingredients:
1 lb Brussels sprouts cleaned with the outer leaves removed and slivered* (see note)
1/2 cup cubed pancetta
2 large shallots minced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 heaping tablespoons mascarpone cheese (can substitute cream cheese if needed)
Parmesan cheese (enough to sprinkle on each dish before serving)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 of a pound of dried pasta cooked al dente

*Note: you can either sliver your Brussels sprouts with a sharp knife or using a food processor. To sliver, clean sprouts, remove outer leaves and then cut each in half. Thinly slice each sprout. To use a food processor, use your mandolin attachment and then feed halved sprouts into the machine.

Preparation:
1. Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and the pancetta. Cook for 2 minutes. Add in the shallots and sauté another 2-3 minutes or until everything is golden brown. Remove pancetta and shallots from the pan.

2. Heat pan on high and add another 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and let sit for about 1 minute, letting the sprouts sear. If the pan starts smoking, then lower the heat a bit.

3. Reduce the heat to medium again and then add the pancetta and shallots back in, mixing all the ingredients together and then moving to the far side of the pan in a bunch.

4. Add the walnuts to the pan, browning in the area that is now free for about 1 minute and then incorporate everything together. Add in the remainder of the olive oil at this time as well as a small ladle of pasta water. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cook for another minute or two and then turn the heat off. Mix in the mascarpone cheese until everything is covered in its creaminess and then mix in the pasta.

6. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top.

With Halloween around the corner, it’s time to talk about something that really gives kids the creeps. Forget about vampires (those hunky blood suckers) or zombies (they have feelings too). What terrifies many children are cruciferous vegetables. Even the name sounds scary -- sort of like crucify or crucio (for all you Harry Potter fans).

Cruciferous vegetables, also known as brassicaceae, are the ones that hit the market in fall, just in time for Halloween. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are just a few of the commonly unloved veggies that make up this plant variety. Yet although the cruciferae are often sneered at, and even loathed by some, they are hardly villains. Dubbed super vegetables, they are full of antioxidants and vitamins, are thought to have cancer-preventing and fighting agents, and also protect against cardiovascular disease. So, contrary to popular belief, these under appreciated vegetables are actually the heroes of the food world.

Yet as much as I put myself in the role of PR rep for these amazing plants, multitudes of kids (and even some adults) meet a plateful of cauliflower, kale or Brussels sprouts with scrunched up faces and pursed lips. Of course there are many people (adults and children alike) who love all things cruciferous, but I don't think it's farfetched to say these vegetables have a bad rap.

But don't lose heart. If your child has decided she hates all things cruciferous, you can trick her into getting excited about eating them. Don't worry. I'm not suggesting you hide the vegetables (as I am strongly against deceiving kids about food -- Santa Claus, however, is a different matter). Rather, I support getting your children interested in eating these amazing vegetables with their eyes wide open, and some of the little darlings will even come to love them. The younger your kids are, the easier your job. So if your kids are a little older, your task will be more difficult, but with a little effort -- along with a fair amount of Parmesan cheese and bacon -- it's possible to convince your kids that cruciferous vegetables are not only edible, but quite tasty.

Here are a few ways to get your kids to eat all things cruciferous. A few of the items on this list repeat some tips I provided last year, but as they really do work, it's worth mentioning them here again.

• Try roasting your vegetables instead of steaming or boiling them. Roasting allows the natural sugars in the vegetables to caramelize, which makes them more flavorful. It is also a great way to make sure the veggies turn out al dente instead of mushy. And, if you need another incentive, boiling and steaming emit the vegetables natural gassy odors while roasting helps contain the smells.

• Try fun colored vegetables. Right now you can find purple or yellow cauliflower, or those lovely Tuscan ones with spiky cones all over them. Even the most cauliflower-hating kid will be interested in nibbling something purple.

• Buy an entire stalk of Brussels sprouts. It's fun to take the sprouts off the stalk, and you are then left with a long green baton your kids can play with.

• Don't overcook your cruciferous veggies as they are high in gas and cooking them for too long makes them stinky. See if you can get your kids to eat the broccoli or cauliflower raw (with salad dressing or melted cheese if necessary) and then cook the rest al dente.

• Make a creamy soup. When blended with milk or cream and butter, vegetables become much more manageable for kids who reject foods out of hand because of weird textures. So if your child thinks Brussels sprout leaves are slimy, puree them.

• Add bacon and cheese (if you eat these things). Let's face it, everything really does taste better with bacon and cheese. Kale sautéed with bacon or pancetta is truly amazing. And cauliflower baked au gratin with cheese and butter is beyond decadent. Toss in your children's favorite pasta to make the dish even more appealing.

• Take your kids to a garden or farm at picking time. Picking vegetables is fun and kids are far more likely to eat something they got to commune with in the garden. Many local farms have family days where you and your brood can pick to your hearts' content.

• Let your kids pick out your weekly vegetables in the market. Go to a farmer's market if you can as they offer inviting opportunities for your little ones to touch, smell, and even talk with a farmer.

And now for that irresistible purple soup.

Roasted Purple Cauliflower Soup

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:
1 medium head of purple cauliflower chopped into small florets
1 medium potato chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup milk (preferably whole milk)
4 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
1. Lay the cut up cauliflower and potato in a pan. Drizzle on some olive oil, black pepper, and salt (kosher or sea salt preferably). Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until you can easily pierce the cauliflower and potato pieces with a fork.
2. In a medium pot, sauté the onion in 2 Tbsp butter until soft. Add in the roasted cauliflower and potato along with the chicken or vegetable stock. Cook until the broth is heated through.
3. Using a hand or stand blender, blend the cauliflower mixture until all chunks are gone and the soup is smooth.
4. Add the mixture back to the pot and mix in the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a low simmer.
5. Mix in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Serve.