If you have never heard of kale before, did you even enter a food shop in 2016? Whether we wanted to know about it or not, kale was thrust onto our social media feeds and on the counter of every juice bar up and down the country throughout the year and we are now well informed about the benefits of the super leafy green. Not wishing the trend to go away due to its low calories count, high fibre content and the fact it has zero fat, we're keeping the trend going into 2017 and keeping our fingers crossed it's not last years news! Here are a few quick, easy & tasty recipe to liven up your kale! Quick Kale & Eggs Is simplicity your game? This is a beyond easy, but very tasty, recipe. Don't be tempted to throw in a load of extra ingredients, it only needs 4 (5 if you include coconut oil!) ingredients for a quick and healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner! You can either eat this alone, add a little Tabasco sauce at the end for heat or serve along side some brown rice or quinoa for a more substantial meal. 2 large free range eggs (or flax seed egg replacement) 1 cup of kale, roughly torn 3-4 sprigs or one table spoon of oregano a pinch of thyme coconut oil for frying Lightly coat a non-stick pan with coconut oil and turn on the heat to low-medium. Break the eggs into a bowl and lightly scramble with a fork, add a little water if you like, set aside. Add your kale to a frying pan and sauté for a few minutes until the kale is softened. Add the eggs to the kale and scramble along with the thyme and oregano - this will only take around 15-20 seconds to cook. Kale with Butternut Squash & Honey- Cider Vinaigrette Roasted butternut squash is the perfect pairing with kale with this sweet and tangy dressing. You can either serve this salad straight away or let it marinade over night, so the kale becomes softer and the flavours will combine further. 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard & 1 teaspoon of honey 3 cups of trimmed and sliced kale 1 cup of roasted cubed butternut squash 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds or seeds of your choice (or both!) 1/2 cup of crumbed blue or feta cheese (optional) Make the vinaigrette - add the oil, red wine and apple cider vinegar, mustard and honey to a jar and mix well with the lid secure. In a large bowl, toss together the kale, squash and cheese (if using). Add the vinaigrette and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and nuts before serving. Kale & Apple Cake Leave people guessing with the green ingredient in this veg-packed kale cake! The kale taste is very, very subtle, but it does give the cake a brilliant, vibrant colour whilst still leaving all of its goodness in tact. To make the cake: Instead of using eggs you can use flax seed egg replacement - use 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoon of water for every egg, place in the fridge to set for 15 minutes to use as egg replacement in baking. 200g of fresh kale (storks discarded) 3 eggs (or flax seed egg replacement) 100ml of rapeseed or vegetable oil 175g of sugar 100g of apple sauce 2 regular sizes eating apples, peeled and grated. 250g of plain flour 2 tablespoons of baking powder a pinch of salt Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line two 9" cake tins. Tear the kale leaves into smaller pieces and boil or steam until tender. Transfer to cold water, drain and purée the leaves. Beat the eggs, vanilla, apple sauce and sugar together. Beat in the kale purée and grated apple. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and gently combine. Pour the mixture into the baking tins and bake for 30 mins. Cool for a few minutes before turning them onto a rack to cool completely. To make the icing: 250g of powdered icing sugar 2 tablespoon of softened butter 2 tablespoon of apple sauce 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the other ingredients and mix until smooth. Store in the fridge until ready and frost the cooled cake. Enjoy! If you have a taste for kale, but can't always keep it fresh, try: The Synergy Company Organic Kale Powder
