Price war: giant Kale v. tiny pepper
I purchased this giant bunch of kale yesterday and I could not believe how cheap it was! Especially after seeing a red and green pepper ring up for $2.09. I really love to munch on peppers, but paying $2.99/lb is too much.
This just proves that buying in-season produce really can reduce your grocery bills. Kale not one of your faves? I’m not surprised. I can hear you recoiling as you read this. She wants me to eat…kale?
I’ve actually started to crave kale after my step-father made it for me. Here is his easy kale recipe. (Click “more” to see how cheap this kale was.)
This kale was only $.75! It is so big I’ll get 3-4 heaping servings out of it.
Ingredients
Kale
Butter
Diced garlic
Directions
1. Wash kale, then cut out the stem by making two long cuts on either side of it, starting from the tip and going down to the root. Compost or trash the stem. Slice the de-stemmed kale into 1 inch thick pieces, cutting perpendicular to where the stem was. Prepare 3-6 leaves per person.
2. Pour 1/4 c water into a sautee pan big enough to fit all the kale. Add kale. Heat on medium high for 15 minutes. Check there is still water left after 10 minutes and add a few more tablespoons if it is all gone. By the end of the recipe you’ll want all the water to have boiled off.
3. While still on the stove, push kale aside and melt 1-3 tablespoons of butter in the pan. The amount depends on how much kale you are preparing.
4. Add diced garlic to butter and let cook for about 60 seconds, until fragrant. Stir buttery garlic into the kale and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
What’s so hot about kale? It is stocked with antioxidants, beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and calcium.
Allrecipes has many more kale recipes, including baked kale chips.
Looking for more cheap groceries? ShopSmart has a list of 17 yummy foods that are low priced. I especially love that they called out popcorn, one of my favorite healthy and easy dinners, er, snacks.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Have you ever tried Portuguese Kale Soup using Linguica or Chorico? YUM!
@Lois No, I haven’t. What’s your recipe?
Another great kale recipe I picked up in Holland. It’s cooking kale with potatoes , odd but tastles great!
I made soup this week and substituted the spinach with kale. The whole family loved it! And now my daughters are asking for the kale chips we made a while ago. Here’s the recipe: http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/make-healthy-lunch-box-snacks/
Here’s one, and you can play with ingredients, substituting other beans, or adding other meat, etc.
Sorry, I can’t seem to edit the last post.
NEW BEDFORD PORTUGUESE KALE SOUP
1 package frozen or 1-2 lbs fresh kale
1 large yellow onion
3 potatoes, peeled
2 chourico or linguica, sliced
8 cups chicken or pork broth
1/4 cup Olive Oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 can Cannelloni beans
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 hot pepper, seeded
1/3 teaspoon paprika
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Slice chourico or linguica and saute in 1/4 cup of olive oil, onion, and chopped garlic. Do not allow garlic to brown, so add last. Sausage does not need to cook.
Add liquid and simmer for 10 minutes. Prepare the kale by rinsing thoroughly and tearing the leafy portions from the stems. Tear into bite-size pieces. Discard stems. If you do not have broth on hand, use 2 tablespoons of bouillon granules.
Add potatoes, kale, and simmer additional 30 minutes.
Add beans if desired. Serve with Portuguese rolls or chowder crackers.
I saw Jacques Pepin make Kale Chips on his show, using a technique for easy crunch and less chance of burning. Instead of baking the kale directly on the sheet pan, he put a wire cookie cooling rack on the pan and put the kale on the rack so the hot air circulates all around the kale and it doesn’t need to be flipped during baking. Also, he bakes at 250ºF for 20 minutes. Lower temperature means lower chance of burning. Still perfect chips!
@BB ~ I’m off and running today, but will send you some kale recipes to add to your list, including a couple for kale salads. And I agree about substituting kale for spinach. Better texture, stands up better under cooking, and is really inexpensive. My kind of good!
We do this recipe a lot, but with olive oil, not butter.
I would never think to try that. In season produce definitely makes a difference when it comes to your wallet. It’s also a great way to get variety in your diet. Thanks for sharing.