Kale: Enjoying Bitter

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

As a food professional, I’ve tracked American eating habits over decades and what truly astonishes me is how quickly our food sophistication has ramped up in recent years.

What we consider common ingredients today, such as cumin, fish sauce, salsa, miso, quinoa, hoisin or sriracha, were not on the culinary radar of most Americans in the 70s. We’ve gone from iceberg lettuce to arugula; pre-sliced white bread to rustic loaves.

But the biggest change, I think, is in how we’ve learned to embrace bitter flavors, such as dark chocolate, espresso and hardier greens like kale.

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Superstar Kale Salad

By Linda Anusasananan
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I love the farmers' market. Today I found three bunches of kale for $5.

Bunches of curly green, Red Russian, and laciniato kale beckoned with their freshness. Since I wanted to use the kale raw, I tasted the leaves and chose the most tender and mild: the dark green laciniato with long, narrow leaves and a pebbly texture.

Once shunned, kale is the new superstar of greens, noted for its high concentration of antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. Often used for soups and long-cooked preparations, people are discovering creative ways to use this healthy green.

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Quick Fix Dinner

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Tomorrow, 11 people will be showing up on my doorstep to stay for four days and many meals. One of the meals is the big turkey day; the rest involves several breakfasts and lunches. So tonight, I am a cookin’ fool.

Right now I have a stock simmering away, cornbread cooling and am in dire need to get my pie dough made, as it is 6:30 p.m. and I have to get some early shuteye. The house is relatively clean, at least for now. Dishwasher is full with a sink full of dishes yet to load. I could use a kitchen fairy about right now to cook me up some rocket fuel to make it through the night.

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Pasta – My Mood-Altering Meal

By Lori Powell

Oscar night! So excited, especially since I have been without a TV for weeks now. Soooo thought I would splurge and buy a new one. Big mistake.

After listening to the techie guys for about 1 ½ hours I thought I had made a wise choice…no go! The picture was horrible, no matter what I tried to do to correct the color, tint and sharpness. It had all of the latest stuff of what makes a great picture nowadays, or so I was told.

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Kale: Mother Nature’s Flu Shot

By Katie Barreira

It’s mid-February. The holidays have finally wrapped and daylight is stretching past 4 p.m. It sure feels like it’s time for spring, but don’t be fooled by Persephone’s wily ways. There’s still a month of winter to come. Combat the last leg of cold and flu season and fortify your diet with kale, a seasonal superfood that’s as versatile as it is healthy.

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