Cooking with Tammy Kelly: A Kale You Will Love
If you are a little leery of eating kale, thanks to one of our local farmers, I have found your answer to adding Kale to your diet. It’s Lacinato or Dinosaur kale is a dark green leafy vegetable. Dino kale has an earthy, nutty flavor. It doesn't have the same strong bitterness as other varieties of kale, though it is still there. The sweetness helps offset that and makes it more approachable.
The leaves of the Dino Kale are so hearty that, even when well cooked, they retain a wonderful firm texture, making it a great choice for braising or adding to stews.
Not only is it sweeter and less bitter than your normal Kale, it contains the same nutritional punch! It's an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K—over 50 percent of recommended daily allowances for each. It also provides good amounts of B vitamins, calcium, copper, fiber, iron, manganese, vitamin E, and is rich in antioxidants.
Italian doctors often recommend this variety of kale for weight loss. It is a filling food but very low in calories and has no fat.
Give it a try and feel free to let me know what you think!!
Dino Kale Salad
1 bunch of Dino kale
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
De-stem and slice the Dino kale, put into a bowl.
Whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Pour the dressing over the kale and make sure to toss well enough so that the kale absorbs the dressing. Add the Parmesan and toss again.
Allow the salad to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4, each serving contains; Calories 177, Fat 14g., Protein 7g., Carbohydrates 6g.
Lemon Lacinato Kale
1 large bunch of Lacinato or Dino kale, leaves rinsed and thick center ribs cut out
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup dry white wine
¼ to ½ cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Slice kale into 1-inch pieces
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add prepared kale. Cover and cook, just until slightly wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain well.
In a large fry pan, heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and sauté stirring often, until soft. Add kale and wine, cover and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add ¼ cup chicken stock and cook until stock is almost evaporated and kale is very tender, about 30 minutes. Check kale for tenderness. If needed to cook longer add the additional chicken stock.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice, toss and serve. Serves 2.
Tuscan and White Bean and Kale Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2, 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups chopped kale, 1 large bunch
Optional; Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, bread
Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper. Sauté for approximately 5 minutes, stiffing occasionally, until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
Add the minced garlic, and cook for about 2 more minutes, just until the mixture becomes fragrant.
Add the cannellini beans and the Italian seasoning. Stir until well mixed with the vegetables.
Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Transfer about half of the soup to a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds, or use an immersion blender, until smooth. Pour the blended portion back into the pot and stir until evenly mixed. This step gives he soup a creamy body without needing cream.
Stir in the chopped kale and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the kale is tender but still bright green.
Serve hot. Top with freshly grated Parmesan, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, and pair with fresh bread if desired.
Each 1 ½ cups serving contains; Calories 290, Carbohydrates 38g., Protein 17g.
Southern Style Dino Kale
4 bundles dino or lacinato kale
3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 shallots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp. Cajun spice
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Remove dino kale stems from leaves. (Refer to photo below for reference.) Tear leaves into pieces and set them aside in a large bowl. Chop the stems into 2" pieces.
Heat a large pot of water of high heat until boiling. Once boiling, add in kale stems. Let boil for 3-4 minutes. Strain, and immediately transfer to an ice bath.
Meanwhile heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add shallots and minced garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, strain your blanched kale stems and add them to the pot along with Pompeian Organic Red Wine Vinegar, water, coconut sugar, Cajun spice, and red pepper flakes. Stir well.
Add in all torn kale leaves to the pot and stir well, making sure all of the leaves get covered in liquid.
Cover pot, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove the lid, stir and serve! Serves 6-8.
Dinosaur Kale with Potatoes Recipe
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegan option)
2 cups water
1 pound red or baby, 6 potatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound dinosaur kale, chopped roughly
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper
Grated zest of a lemon
Lemon juice to taste
Boil the potatoes: Bring the stock and water to a boil and add the potatoes. Turn the heat down to simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Drain (you can reserve the stock and water to cook rice or polenta with later) and coat the potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Salt well and set aside.
Stir-fry kale, add garlic, red pepper flakes: Heat the remaining olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and turn to coat with the oil as it wilts.
Add the garlic and toss to combine, then add the red pepper flakes and some salt and black pepper. Stir-fry this for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pan. Wait 2-4 minutes before uncovering,
To serve, mix the lemon zest with the kale. Lay down a "nest" of kale on the plate and arrange the baby potatoes in the center. Squeeze some lemon juice over everything right as you serve.
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