Creamed kale . . . yummy?

I'm undecided about that. Since the kale is growing nicely out there in my garden patch, I decided to make it part of dinner tonight. The kids and I went out with my basket, Ellie had to run in and get a basket for the two of them, to cut some kale leaves. My sister-in-law had emailed me some recipes. I tried the creamed greens(kale) one and the kale chips.

Creamed Greens from The Joy of Cooking
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp butter
1/2 an onion, diced
1 tbsp flour
2 bunches of greens (spinach, kale chard, turnips greens) destemmed and chopped, with stems cut in 1 inch pieces.
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Boil greens in 2 cups of water, covered for 5-7 minutes. Run through food processor or chop finely. Add butter to skillet, add diced garlic and onions, and cook until shimmery. Add and mix in flour. Slowly stir in broth and sugar. When sauce is hot, add greens and cook for about three minutes.


Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
olive oil
salt
cider vinegar (optional)

Wash and dry kale. Remove leaf from stem and toss in olive oil and vinegar, if desired. Place flat on baking sheet. Add salt to taste. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes until crispy.
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I was very skeptical the entire time I was making the creamed kale. The kids are never going to eat this, played many times. I waited for the smell of the cooked kale to assault my nose. It never quite did. The look of it was not the most appealing.

I put all the food on the table, the kids sat down and eyed the bowl of green stuff. I was ready for the "Ewwww, I'm not eating that. Disgusting!" It never came. Ellie politely as a five year old, said she would like to not have that. I told her it was the kale that we cut from the garden. She said okay. Apparently cutting it herself made it acceptable to eat. She ate it first. No complaints. None from Josh either, even though he ate his last. He asked to have this dinner again, since it was his favorite.

Now I do have to say that when one doesn't know how much is in a bunch, one ought to ration the amount of onions one uses. I over did it on the onions to kale ratio. The three of use picked out the onions, but Josh said he wasn't picking them out, he liked them. And eat them he did.

My children surprised me tonight, that's for sure. They also ate the kale chips. Ellie munched quite happily on one. They had good flavor. Another note: one does not need to be overzealous with the oil or salt on that recipe. Ellie's fingers were fairly dripping when she was done, which was the reason that Josh only got a bite of one. I was not giving that child his own to hold.

I liked the kale chips, but I can't quite get past the texture of creamed greens. I did find it okay to eat once I mixed it in with my noodles. Claire also emailed me a casserole recipe for kale. I might try that one next.