Warm Kale and Roasted Pumpkin Salad

This salad was inspired by Sprouted Kitchens Kale Bowl. Warm salad may sound bizarre but we have served this twice now for crew lunch and both times it was the perfect combination of flavours and perfect balance of proteins.  We did not want for anything more all afternoon!  Warm salads are perfect for Winter!

Ingredients A large chunk of pumpkin, skinned and seeded and cut into ¾ inch cubes 1 large fennel bulb, reserving fronds for garnish Red or brown onion cut into chunks 5-6 garlic cloves 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 Tbsp. Grade B Maple Syrup 1 tsp. whole grain mustard 1/2 tsp. cayenne pinch of red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg salt (smoked or sea salt) + pepper 1 bunch purple kale, stems removed tamari roasted pepitas 15 almonds coarsely pounded in a mortar and pestle feta cheese

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 225C'. Arrange one oven rack in the upper third and one on the bottom third. 2. Peel, seed and cube the pumpkin. Slice the fennel down the center, cut out the tough core, slice into 1/2'' wedges. Peel and cut the onion into 1/8ths. Do not peel the garlic. Spread everything on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, maple, mustard, cayenne, red pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat everything, adding another drizzle of oil or maple if it seems too dry. Roast in the upper third of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the squash is tender and caramelized, tossing the vegetables halfway through. 3. Rip the kale into large chunks, drizzle it with remaining olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread it on another baking sheet. At the 30 minute mark, move the squash tray to the lower rack and put the kale on the top rack. Bake for 10 minutes until the edges are crisp. 4. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin.  Gently toss everything together. Enjoy warm.

Heidi's Winter Pasta

Ingredients4 cloves of garlic, peeled 4 small shallots, peeled 1 small bunch of kale or other winter green - 1/2 lb / 8 oz, stalks removed, washed well 1/3 cup / 80 ml extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup / 2 oz goat cheese, plus more for topping 2 tablespoons + hot pasta water fine grain sea salt & freshly ground black pepper fresh lemon juice - optional 12 oz / 340 g dried penne pasta fresh thyme - and thyme flowers

Method 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the boiling water generously, and add the garlic and shallots. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stir in the kale and cook for another ten seconds. Don't overcook. Working quickly, use a slotted spoon or strainer to fish the greens, garlic, and shallots from the water. Use a food processor to puree the ingredients along with the olive oil and goat cheese. Add a couple tablespoons of hot pasta water if needed to thin things out if needed. Then season with a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste. Depending on your goat cheese, you might need a little extra acidic oomph if your sauce is a bit flat. If so, add fresh lemon juice a bit at a time until you're happy with it the sauce. Set aside. 2. Reheat the pot of water and boil the pasta per package instructions. Drain and toss immediately with the green sauce. Serve topped with a few pinches of fresh thyme, and more crumbled goat cheese.

Serves 4-6. Source: Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks

Kale Chips

Kale chips are amazingly delicious.  Crunchy, salty, filled with nutrients.  They really are just as addictive as potato chips.  If you have no idea what to do with your kale, give these chips a go.  Children love them, too...and not just our children! ANDI stands for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index." An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. The ANDI score for Kale is 1000!

Kale is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Ingredients 1 bunch kale 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp seasoned salt optional - garlic, sesame seeds

Oven Method 1. Preheat an oven to 175 degrees. Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. 2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. 3. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. 4. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Dehydrator Method 1. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. 2. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. 3. Spread the leaves on the dehydrator trays in single layers. Do not crowd the leaves or they will not dry evenly. It is alright if the leaves touch, but they shouldn't overlap too much.

"Quick" Dehydrator Method This method doesn't result in chips that qualify as raw food, but the result is still very good and ready in half the time of the low temperature method below.

Dry the kale at 145F/63C for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 115F/46C and dry for an additional 3 to 4 hours until crispy dry. Transfer to airtight containers, or vacuum seal for longer storage.

Low Temperature Raw Food Method Dry the kale at 110F/43C for about 8 hours (overnight or while you're at work). Transfer to airtight containers, or vacuum seal for longer storage.

If your kale chips lose their crunch in storage, you can re-crisp them in a low (200F/93C) oven for 10 minutes, or in the dehydrator at 110F/43C for an hour.

Chlorophyll Paste

Thank you to Ceila Lairba, one of our CSA members and a Thermomix consultant for sending through this recipe Taken from "in the mix - Great Thermomix Recipes" by Dani Valent

 Chlorophyll Paste

Time: 25minutes, plus overnight draining. Makes about 1/2cup.

 Ingredients

500g ice cubes

250g baby spinach leaves (any green leaves - kale, bok choy, braising greens, perpetual gator etc)

80-150g soft herbs (parsley, coriander, mint, dill or chives) leaves only, amount depends on how much flavour you want

Method 1. Weigh the ice into the TM Bowl. Set to Closed Lid position, press Turbo serval times. Tip the crushed ice into a large mixing bowl. 2. Weigh 750g of water and heat for 6mins/70 degrees/speed 1, bringing it to exactly 70 degrees. While that's happening, prepare a large sieve or colander lined with muslin or a clean kitchen cloth. 3. Add the baby spinach (or any other greens as above) and herbs into TM Bowl. Blitz for 6 mins/70 degrees/speed 10, then immediately pour the green mush into the bowl of crushed ice. NOTE if the lid is leaking STOP. You need a new seal. Otherwise you will make a huge mess. Be careful opening the lid - allow a 2-3 second delay before opening to allow for the green mixture to settle. I learnt the hard way and immediately opened the lid and had green everywhere on white walls and me. 4. Pour the contents of the bowl into the lined sieve. Leave to drain for 4 hours, ideally overnight. 5. The resulting paste left in the muslin is the chlorophyll. Scrape it into a container. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Discard the remaining green juice into a smoothie, on the garden - don't let it go to waste.

Ways to use it

• Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of paste to scrambled eggs to create bright green eggs
• Mix it into pasta dough for green noodles
• Add a tablespoon to a fresh juice or smoothie

Cavolo Nero and Chilli Chips

Ingredients1 long red chilli 1 bunch Cavolo Nero (or another flat variety of kale such as red Russian), well washed extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Method 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Toast chilli in a frying pan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until quite dry and just starting to colour. Using a mortar and pestle, pound until quite fine, adding a little sea salt if necessary to help grind it. You want the chilli mixed with 1 tbsp salt (or to taste) by the time it’s made, so you’ll have plenty of this chilli salt for other uses, too. 2. Remove the central spine from cavolo nero, then tear or cut into pieces roughly 5cm wide and 10cm long. Place in a bowl, add a few drops of oil and, using your fingertips, very lightly toss each leaf until lightly coated. Sprinkle with a little chilli salt – not too much – and lay leaves out on oven trays lined with baking paper. 3. Bake cavolo nero for 5 minutes or until it starts to change texture and become crisp. If it goes brown, it is scorched and probably won’t taste so flash, so it is best to check it often. Remove from the oven, cool for a minute, then very gently transfer to a platter. Serve immediately as it won’t keep.

Recipe credit -  SBS website

Nutty Kale Chips

Ingredients1 large bunch of  kale 1 cup almonds or cashews, (soaked 2 hours) 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 3-4 tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsps nutritional yeast 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp sea salt

Method 1. Rinse the kale and spin dry. Remove the stems and tear into bite size pieces. Let the kale air out as much as possible before coating. 2. Blend the ingredients for the cheesy seasoning in the Vita-Mix until smooth. 3. Transfer kale and seasoning to a large bowl and mix well using your hands to ensure the leaves are well coated. 4. Place the kale on the dehydrator trays.  Dehydrate at 118 degrees overnight or until coating is dry. Slide onto mesh screens and dehydrate until totally crispy.

TIP for keeping Kale Chips Crunchy. Take a small fabric bag, sachets for jewelry or aromatics work well, and fill it with uncooked rice.  Place the it in an airtight glass container with a lid and seal up the kale chips. The rice soaks up any extra moisture in the container, keeping your kale chips crunchy for days!