Massage your Kale!

Today I am talking about beets and kale.  What?  That's right, possibly two of the most feared items in the produce aisle.  More specifically, I am talking about the beet greens.  I would recommend getting your beet greens from your own garden or a farmer's market as they're bound to be fresh and pesticide-free.

Here are some tender young beets, just pulled from my garden.  As you can see, the actual beets, are very small, but the beet greens, or the leaves are a pretty good size.  You cook these like you would cook spinach.  I boil some water, add a touch of salt, throw in the washed leaves and beets.  Reduce my water to a simmer, cover with foil and cook for 5 minutes.

Make sure you wash them really well!!  They are loaded with dirt.

When you can stick a fork in the beets, they're done.  So, it actually might not even take 5 minutes.  Depending on how hot your water is, they can cook faster.  You do not want to over cook these greens as they are very tender.  The less you cook, the better.

To serve, remove cooked beets from water.  Put on a plate, add a pat of butter, sprinkle on some lemon juice, salt and pepper and they are ready to be consumed.

I want to say that The Mister...who has told me from the day we began dating that he hates beets!!!!  he actually likes beets made this way.  He requests them daily from our garden and my supply is now gone.  I will be re-planting beet seeds today. 

So, there you have it, as a beet fan from day one, I feel vindicated...kind of like when his brother told him that minivans are only useful when your kids can't buckle themselves in (yeah, that's right, The Mister, not me, is the one in this family who wants a minivan).  Happy dance  I'm not getting a minivan  I'm not getting a minivan.  Ahem, alright then.

Now then, about the title of this post.  MASSAGE YOUR KALE PEOPLE!  I am here to confirm that if, before you eat kale, you rub their leaves a little bit, (mush two leaves together against one another and work out their sore muscles...aka...crush the fibers a bit), your kale will not be bitter!  It's a miracle.  The Mister took a bite of his salad last night...and was amazed as he saw kale, but didn't taste it.  I did remove the thick ribs, and just served us the leaves, but I am, from this point onward, massaging my kale every time.

So, eat your beets and kale, people.  They're good for you and tasty too!

Thanks for reading.

Heather