Meatless Monday: Kudos for Kale Day

The first National Kale Day was a huge success. On Wednesday, October 2, kale lovers from all over enjoyed three Google Hangouts ON AIR, posted on facebook, tweeted, and shared favorite kale photos on Pinterest. Kale fans in SoHo hung out an actual party at Seasonal Whispers. Bloggers blogged. Adventurous souls tried some new recipes. The National Kale Day founders are already tweeting “Mark your calendar Oct 1 2014!” 

I made good on last week’s promise to try Fall Cheddar Apple Kale Quesadillas, a recipe by Skinny Chef Jennifer Iserloh that was included in the National Kale Day toolkit. I first served them on Kale Day. They were so good that we had them again on Saturday!

All you need to make this tasty dish are four ingredients: apples, kale, tortillas, and cheddar cheese and a large cast iron skillet.

What a small carbon footprint this recipe has! I used: Cortland apples from Bishop’s Orchards; kale from the CitySeed downtown farmers’ market, Cabot Cheddar, and tortillas from Maria and Ricardo’s Tortilla Factory in Canton, Mass.

Here’s the recipe:

Fall Cheddar Apple Kale Quesadilla 

(by Skinny Chef Jennifer Iserloh)

Serves 4. Can easily be halved.

INGREDIENTS

1 head of kale

4 large tortillas (whole grain if you can find them)

2 apples, cored and sliced into thin wedges

4 thick slices of cheddar cheese (or 3 oz. shredded)

DIRECTIONS

• Remove the thick spines from the kale. 
• Wash and tear into small pieces until you have 4 cups, loosely packed.
• Heat a large, dry, cast iron skillet over high heat.
• Add the kale and 1 tablespoon of water. 
• Toss until kale wilts.
• Turn off heat.
• Transfer kale to a plate and dry skillet (carefully) with a paper towel.
• Place skillet over high flame. 
• Add one tortilla and reduce heat to medium.
• Add a quarter of the apple slices and kale, and top with one slice (or a quarter) of the cheese.
• Fold over.
• Cover the pan.
• Reduce the heat to low, and cook about two minutes more, turning once or twice until cheese is melted.
• Repeat the process until you have made four quesadillas.
• Keep the assembled quesadillas warm while you continue cooking.
• Serve immediately.

Simple to make. Simply delicious. And healthy, too! Check out the National Kale Day site to learn why kale can make a difference.

Happy Monday!

Have a great week. Eat well. 

I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: Kale Day is Almost Here!

National Kale Day is just days away — Wednesday, October 2.

Get your mind off the dysfunction all around you, and celebrate instead!

National Kale Day, observed annually on the first Wednesday in October, “celebrates kale’s incredible health benefits, highlights kale’s culinary versatility, and promotes eating, growing and sharing kale throughout America.” 

You can read about Kale Day’s founders here. Be sure to check out the story of Pittsburgh native Kristen Beddard “the Kale Crusader,” who launched the Kale Project in Paris (yes, Paris, France) in May, 2012. Kristen’s story was recently reported in the New York Times. Kristen is a woman with a mission, “to make kale as common as lettuce.”

Why celebrate kale? 

Here are just a few reasons:

• One cup of raw kale has just 33 calories, yet is packed with all these nutrients.

• It is a cool weather vegetable with a long growing season.
• If you have space for a garden, kale is easy to grow.
• It can be locally sourced when warm weather crops have disappeared from the market.
• It is relatively inexpensive.
• It is “hearty.” When stored in a loose bag in the refrigerator crisper, it can last up to a week. 
• It comes in dozens of colorful varieties.
• As an ingredient, it is very versatile.

Here is one recipe from the many in my Kale Hero tool kit —perfect for a Kale Day party!

  

I discovered kale bout three years ago. I had a few failures as I learned to “deal with kale,” but I have been a huge fan of this superfood ever since. 

This year I became a Kale Hero. You can become one, too.

Join me in celebrating this remarkable food. 

Happy Kale Day! 

Have a great week. Eat well. 

I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”