I am still harvesting my holey kale at the allotment but am also loving all the curly kale around locally. Usually I find this too tough and bitter but lately our vegetable bag scheme has provide some sweet tasting leaves which barely need blanching to cook. Here are a few ways I’ve been using the kale so the family don’t get bored.
Kale crisps
I was inspired to make kale crisps by my friend Monica who I will fondly call The Garnish Queen. She’s a big soup and smoothie maker and to add interest she tops her bowls with all manner of interesting things including kale crisps. The leaves dehydrate really well and take just 15 minutes in the oven. No dehydrator needed.
Kale Crisps – Photo credit Monica Shaw
Soup
This is the easiest and fastest meal in my repertoire and has been a go to staple with the start of a new school term and the various meetings and activities going on between 3.30pm and dinnertime!
Made in a jiffy Kale and Coconut Soup – click image for recipe
Salads
I have a freezer full of cooked lentils, beans and pulses. I batch cook them to save time and energy. Recently I’ve added barley to my shopping list. It makes a really nice change from rice and couscous and in this weather it also feels a lot heartier and filling. Paired with kale, it’s a great salad base to top with the protein of your choice. Teriyaki salmon is a favourite with my girls and the sauce means you have to do very little for a salad dressing.
Kale and Barley Salad with Teriyaki Salmon
[recipe title=”Kale and Barley Salad with Teriyaki Salmon” serves 4″]
You’ll need
- 300g of curly kale
- 5 tbsp of soy sauce
- a 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp of runny honey
- 4 salmon fillets
- 150g of cooked barley
- juice of half a lemon
To make it
- To prepare the kale, take the leaves off the main stalk and place them in a large bowl. Cover them with boiling water and leave this to one side.
- Put the soy sauce, ginger and the honey into a bowl that will fit all your fish fillets. Mix these together well. I use a little whisk.
- Put the salmon fillets in this mixture and leave to marinade for about 20 minutes. Longer if you have time.
- Drain the kale and then stir put it bag into a bowl and add the cooked barley.
- Toss through with a the lemon juice and portion between four plates.
- To cook the salmon, heat a large non stick frying pan for a few minutes on a medium flame. Add the pieces of salmon and pour over the marinade. Leave to cook on a gentle heat for 10-15 minutes making sure to turn them over so they get a nice coating of the sticky sauce.
- When your salmon is ready, place each fillet on the portions of kale and barley and then spoon over some of the sauce.
This salad works just as well cold. Alternatively you can use smoked salmon and then make the sauce from the marinade ingredients by gently heating them all together in a small pan for 5 minutes.
The best bit is licking the plate clean
[/recipe]
How do you eat your curly kale? What’s your go to winter salad dish?
For more kale salad inspiration take a look at these:
- Kale, chard and watermelon salad (fussfreeflavours.com)
- Butternut squash and kale salad (nadiashealthykitchen.com)
- Kale and quinoa salad (naturalkitchenadventures.com)
Oooh these are great recipe ideas, I love kale but only ever steam it! (Or snack on it raw!) And a great idea about freezing beans & pluses…
I shall be making the teriyaki salmon with kale salad this week for sure! Thank you! X
Thank you. It’s the simplest and bestest and if you wanted a bit of carbs it’s lovely with buttery mashed potato too.
I adore kale, curly, cavolo et al. Though probably think cavolo is my favourite. Love the idea of serving salmon on top, self saucing too! Saucy!
Ha ha! Yes very saucy. We like self saucing in this house. Saves so much time
The salad looks so delicious, especially topped with that teriyaki salmonI! 😀 I love barley, it has much more flavour and texture compared to rice and I find it a lot more filling 🙂
This is true. Certainly more filling and I think it works out cheaper too
Love the look of this. The kale, barley and salmon appeal very much to my Scottishness!
Ah yes. Lots of barley up there!
Oh wow, that pic of the salad made my tummy growl a little bit! It looks lovely and I too have some holey kale in the poly tunnel that needs using up so thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Janie x
Thanks Jane and sorry for making you hungry first thing in the morning! Interesting to know the holes are still happening in a poytunnel! I always wonder if I get more exposed to the animals because I have no cover at the allotment
This looks amazing! I love Kale, barley, and salmon. It’s like all the of my favourite ingredients combined in one dish 🙂
Thank you 🙂
I am not a great fan of kale but perhaps I need to give it second chance. There is lots of inspiration here!
Kale is the best! Give it a second chance for sure!
What a simple and delicious dish. Love the plate in the picture too. So pretty! Thanks for sharing.
Thankyou and it was my pleasure. Simple pleasures are always the best
I love kale, but it baffles my why the majority of kale in the UK is sold shredded in bags. I want leaves!
I know?! Crazy right.
I love kale. The recipe looks really delicious. May well try a teriyaki tofu version.
Teriyaki tofu is one of life’s disappointments for me. I’ve just never managed to find the right tofu to work with. If you are veggie the sauce works super well with Tenderstem broccoli, sweet potato, butternut squash or aubergines 🙂
I’ve never tried it with tempeh. That could work well.
Gorgeous dish, just love the flavours and kale being home grown is a total winner too:-)
Thank you Camilla. I think the effort is worth it. Must go and check on my crop later as I fancy some more with roast potatoes this evening
Love your simple salmon recipe with the barley – nourishing and, although a bit special occasion in some peoples’ books, a totally fabulous weekday meal. I love kale crisps on soup too, as well as to top lentil bolognese. I do the latter in my weight management classes instead of Parmesan.
Lovely idea to do kale on soups. Might do that on my kale and coconut soup at the cafe tomo.