I’ve been out of the loop since I got pregnant. I had to give up one of the blogs and since I wasn’t cooking, this was it. But I am starting to feel better and am slowly crawling back to the kitchen.
So, here we go!
I’m a big fan of kale, but often, I don’t know what to do with it. I’ve fried it up with garlic in a pan, I’ve dried it out and made kale chips from it. And then I thought, why not make it similar to collard greens in the crock pot with bacon instead of a ham hock so that I don’t have to throw anything out and we can eat it all?
And so, I did.
Cooks 4 to 5 hours on LOW. Makes close to six servings.
What you’ll need:
1/2 bag of kale or 2 to 3 nice clumps, stemmed
4 to 5 grass-fed beef bacon ends, or plain old bacon ends will do.
1/4 cup water
How to cook it:
1. Stuff in that kale. Layer the bacon ends between the kale in the middle of the pot and a few on top. Add no more than 1/4 cup of water.
2. In a 3 quart crock pot, cover and cook on low for at least four hours, stirring occasionally. Your crock pot may take a bit more or a bit less so be sure and check them. When the kale has changed from a bright, leafy green to a swampy, deep green and the leaves taste tender, you’re set. The bacon should also look like cooked bacon. Check the temperature to make sure!
3. Enjoy your salty greens.
End Result:
Yet, another way to enjoy kale. We were pleased the kale didn’t turn out too salty and yet we were able to eat the bacon, as well. Less waste in my book. Makes a great side.
How do you make your kale?
Other kale recipes!
- collard and kale crisps (lilyreed.wordpress.com)
- Riding The Kale Express (foodnthoughtpeddler.com)
- Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Beans (shanehalbach.com)
welcome back, my friend!!!!
This sounds very interesting, although nothing my husband would be willing to try 🙂
I love kale chips and quinoa – kale salad!
Jay might not like it, but you would. I’ll have to give the kale salad a try! Thanks for the visit Ewa! 😉
definitely something for me! haven’t been using slow cooker much lately, only for making whole chicken in it. So convenient!
I must try your recipe. It really appeals to me.
Looks great! Good to see you’re back!
Thanks Pete. Never thought I’d say I missed the kitchen! Ha!
I like it drizzled with sesame oil and sprinkled withs esame seeds 🙂 – a drizzle of rice vinegar also goes well.
Thanks Alison, that sounds lovely! Will have to try it and I know I owe you a reply on FB. Augh! Will I ever catch up??! 😉
Jenn- really enjoyed reading the blog about your grandmothers recipes. I only met your grandmother one time and must agree she was not the southern welcoming committee. But than your other grandmother (MOM) was not one to roll out the red carpet either..LOL It is sad to hear the house is not up to it’s former glory. I can picture your MOM picking and processing Kale..You know she’d have to put it to her nose before taking a bite and it sounds like your kale would pass the test! GLAD YOU ARE BACK REALLY ENJOY YOUR WRITING..Keep going girl..I’ve become one of your biggest fans.
Augh, Aunt Jackie. You always say the nicest things! Thanks so much for reading what I write. It makes my heart happy!! 🙂
And yes, neither of my grannies were too welcoming. This kid will have a whole different experience. Yay for good grandmas—-like YOU! 🙂
Ewa, you’re so adventurous with your food! You inspire me so much!! Can’t wait to read your new post about self portraits and learn something new! 🙂
hello again, kale has survived the brutal low night temps and i will try some of your recipes..do keep in touch..have a lovely time this spring. all new spring, ns
Nadine, you always inspire me with your encouragement!!
I made this today with kale from my garden. I doubled the recipe in a 7 quart crock pot. It turned out so good. My hubby loved it too. I added some pink Himalayan sea salt and pepper. I will definitely be making this again and again!
Thanks for this! I have been researching crock pot kale all morning and found nothing but this page! I just prepped it and it’s slow cooking as we speak. As a fellow girl born and raised in the South, I can’t wait to eat it tonight.
And oh yeah, I did a few tweaks: instead of water I used chicken broth and I also threw in a little bit of fresh chopped red pepper for color. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Yes Lou!
Let me know how it turns out! I have another version I made last week I need to post!
Thanks for reading!