Sweet and Savory Kale

Well, I have to admit that it was very good. I have never had kale, or any other "southern" type of green. They used to sound kinda gross to me. But, my CSA box sent me a bunch of kale and I wanted to try it one time, to see if I truly did not like it or not. I wanted a simple recipe. This recipe fit the bill perfectly, and it tasted really good too. Way to go Surja! We will be making this again. Only changes will be halving the sugar in half and greatly increasing the dried cranberries. Very easy and quick to make. Make sure the Kale is dried off very well.

Great recipe. I cut the sugar as others suggested, and knew there was NO hope for hubby to like it if I added the cranberries and nuts, so left them out. Turned out GREAT anyway!

Wow! I've never made Kale before and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty this recipe was. I searched the internet for a recipe for Kale and this one appealed to me the most. I did not have dried cranberries and almonds so I left them out and it tasted just fine without them. Thanks for a great recipe and I'll definitely make it again.

I totally messed with this recipe, but have to say that the essential greens/dried fruit combo was even better than I had hoped. We didn't have enough kale, so used half kale and half mustard greens, raisins instead of cranberries, and we forgot(!) the sugar but the final dish didn't seem to care. I don't understand, though, how to boil down the 1 1/2 cup chicken stock without overcooking the greens--we ended up removing the greens and cooking down the broth separately. Still, very tasty!

We had this recipe for dinner tonight. It was excellent. I couldn't find the dijon mustard so I used whatever mustard I could find and it was still good. It was more sweet than savory but that was probably due to the honey mustard I had to use. We had it with a small amount of thinly sliced steak on top, but it would have been enough without the meat. This recipe probably would not be for someone who gets grossed out by wilted greens, but kale remains quite crunchy even when wilted so we found it very satisfying. The cranberries and almonds really add to it. I think the only way you could mess this up would be if you cooked the kale too long.

I have never eaten kale in my life, but am making an honest effort to put more leafy greens into my diet. I can see where it may be too sweet for some and it wouldn't hurt to cut out a bit of sugar, but I liked it the way it was too. I added a little bit of chopped ham to make it a one dish meal and I was very impressed.

Being southern I love all the leafy green vegetables - my Yankee husband is not accustomed to them - so when he loved this dish I was thrilled. I didn't have enough dried cranberries, so I added a few raisins - other than that I made the recipe just as it was written. I will definitely make it again.

Needed something to do with the Kale from my CSA that wasn't a soup. I've never had Kale before. This was very good. Next time I'll go lighter on the mustard. Once it cooks down, I'd say it's closer to enough for 2 large side portions vs the 6 mentioned in the recipe (like spinach, it really cooks down!). We'll make it again.

This dish was quite nice. I didn't realize till I got in that I didn't have any Dijon mustard. I added mustard seeds and french's instead. I only added about 2 tsbp of sugar, and personally I thought that was plenty. Next time I'll try it with real Dijon and add less sugar. Oh, and I added pinenuts instead of almonds. Thanks for the great recipe.

Hands down the most delicious kale recipe EVER!!! However, would just like to note that the olive oil is completely unnecessary- Bring the chicken broth to a boil then throw in the chopped onions- they will cook while it boils, no need to cook separately in oil. Then mix in the other ingredients. I substitute stevia for the sugar to save on calories too. When you cut out the olive oil and sugar this brings this recipe down to about 80 calories per serving!

Wonderfully delicious recipe. I subbed honey for the sugar. I'll be making this again!

I was worried about the sweetness, so I only put two tsp of sugar in. I'm glad I didn't put in any more, because we thought it was pretty good the way it was. Next time I think I'll skip the sugar completely until I taste the cooked greens. I used kohlrabi greens because that's what I had and because I thought their faint cabbagy-ness would be good with the sweet/tangy thing. And they were. The sweet/tangy ingredients completely overpowered the greens, though. This dish doesn't taste like greens at all, really. For us, that was a good thing, as we are completely overcome by various sorts of greens from the CSA right now. But for folks who are looking for greens flavor, this is not it at all. This would be a very gentle introduction to greens for someone who is worried about the nasty olive-drab thing and noxious fumes you get from overcooked greens. It kind of reminds me of thanksgiving with the cranberry flavor. All in all, my changes would be to skip the sugar and toss the greens in AFTER you get the sauce reduced so you can cook the greens just long enough to wilt them. I prefer my greens just-cooked rather than cooked-til-dead. Other than that, this is a very good recipe.

This recipe is fine if you don't want to taste kale. Even if you quadruple the amount of kale, the vinegar and mustard taste just over powers the flavor of everything else. 1.5 cups of chicken broth is way too much liquid to reduced down.

Very good recipe. I actually cooked the kale for about 15 minutes longer than what the recipe stated making it less chewy and more "mushy." But that's just my taste. I also subbed pecans for almonds. Thanks for this easy, tasty recipe. Now I can get my family to eat more greens.

Let me just say, made as written, and this recipe is THE BOMB! I have never had kale before and this dish will be making a repeat appearance at my table. Wow. I scaled it down to serve 4 people and found it was really only enough for two, so I will bear that in mind for next time, increasing the scale to 8 to serve my family of 4. I had to laugh tho; hubs, who isn't a veggie fan, period, complained after supper that he 'must be allergic to that new vegetable' because he really wasn't feeling well. LOL I wasn't falling for that.....and I'm still laughing.....

very nutritious and satisfying! I used half the sugar as most have suggested and added another clove of garlic. This recipe will take care of an entire bag of kale on your hands! If you add some sort of bean and serve over rice it can easily become a main dish. Thanks for sharing!

Wow! This was really good. I'm a Yankee living here in the South and I'm not too crazy about a lot of Southern food. But I do love kale. I usually add some to my salad from the salad bar at Whole Food's. I finally broke down and bought some but wasn't sure what to do with it. I made the recipe exactly and it was delicious. Thank you!

This was my first time making Kale. I did lower the sugar and left out the almonds (b/c I didn't have any). I used frozen diced onion and minced garlic. I though it was pretty good. I probably would not have given it 5 stars (probably 4) except for the fact that my 2 yr old and 5 yr old ATE IT. My 5 yr old even asked for more. I almost fell over. If toddlers eat this, it's a winner.

After battling cancer this year, I have had to change the way I eat. I had never tried kale until this recipe. Like the others I reduced the sugar and left out the cranberries. Tastes great! I will be making again. There are so many other nuts and fruit you could use to jazz it up!

The basic recipe is good, especially for folks who find the kale flavor too strong for their taste. I cut the sugar in half and still found it too sweet. I also felt the mustard was overwhelming--next time I will cut it in half too. I always throw the stems in with onions and garlic to saute them and then let them cook until they are soft.

I used vegetable broth and it came out delicious! Because kale is tough make sure you strip it from the stem. Also, I took my good scissors to it after it was cooked. I suggest doing this before cooking.

Good. I toasted the almond.

I give this 4 stars because I thought it was fantastic, my husband, however, thought it was too vinegary. I will try again with less vinegar next time.

I cut the sugar in half and it still tasted like candied veggies. I did like it, and will make it again, but will cut the sugar to 1 tsp. Thank you for sharing.

Great tasting and easy. Will do what some suggested next time and cut the sugar in half, no need for that much as the dried cranberries have sugar in them. Will make this again.

WHOA! This was seriously sweet! I scaled it back to 3 servings & didn't think the amount of sugar called for was excessive but my dried cranberries added quite a bit of sweetness along with cooking down the cider vinegar which added another level of sweetness that wasn't needed at all. I actually think one could skip the sugar altogether. Thanks, though. :o)

I didn't have dried cranberries OR almonds on hand, but I followed the directions otherwise and it turned out delicious. I did, however, reduce the sugar to 3 tsp since others mentioned 4 was too much, and I think it worked well. I'm glad I read the reviews and knew to expect that the kale would retain some stiffness rather than wilting down to mush like spinach. I think I would have been worried that it hadn't cooked sufficiently.

This recipe is wonderful!! This is now my favorite way to make kale. So good!

What a mediocre recipe! First off, it makes 6 servings? This makes enough for 2 servings of about half a cup. Yes...kale wilts down a lot folks. Also, the ingredients just seemed thrown together. Cranberries were odd, though not exactly awful, and the almonds added nothing. This is closer to a forty minute dish. There are simply better kale recipes out there that are just as easy. I won't make this again, and don't recommend it.

Does not need the sugar at all! Used spicy brown mustard + some powdered mustard, is great. Eating it again now, the leftovers are very tasty too on the second day.

I made this recipe with beautiful late harvest organically grown kale. The marriage of mustard, broth, and cider vinegar is inspired and the dried cranberries and nuts further elevate this succulent side dish. I could eat this often. This is an ace recipe!

This was wonderful! I think the dijon mustard and cranberries really made it. I will be eating this one again! SOON!

Ohmigosh! This is soooo good! DH rarely compliments a side dish, but this one earned approval reserved for Thanksgiving sides. Even my baby, who usually hates the texture of cooked greens, gobbled this up.

WOW!!! I was totally blown away by this recipe. For once in my life I had all the ingredients, so I followed this to the letter and it was sooooo good. It transformed my wilty, questionable kale into a tasty, hearty dish that my meat-loving husband and I really enjoyed. I served it with quinoa. YUM!

I've tried many recipes for Kale and this is my favorite. Reminds me of a sweet and sour cabbage my mother made that was her signature recipe.

WAY too much mustard and vinegar-ish tasting! e.

We really wanted to like this--It seemed like such a great way to get some healthy kale into our diets!--but we just couldn't get excited about it. The flavor is nice, but nothing special.

Fabulous! My vegetable-hating boyfriend actually said "the greens are good". Like other reviewers, I used no cranberries or almonds and cut the sugar to 1 tbsp.

Needed a bit of extra liquid. Great flavour.

really good but a little bit too much mustard for me. I'll try it again with an extra cup of kale.

Quite possibly one of my favorite things to eat ever. People of all ages will enjoy this delicious treat; my family can never get enough! Also delicious when used with spinach instead of kale.

What a great reduction/sauce this is... Next time I make it, I will probably add more than 4 cups of ripped kale, mine reduced down quite a bit. I did also add Butterbeans to this during the last 5 minutes of cooking, just enough to heat them through, they were delicious and gave the dish a little more substance.

I agree with Heidi....I got only 1 serving out of this as well. It was the most salty/sweet combo type of food I've ever eaten, even though I never got around to adding salt or pepper. It was also very chewy.... like to the point of "beef". I didn't like that part of it... It made me feel like I was eating tough weeds. I actually liked the flavor of it while eating it but I like extremely salty foods. The sweetness cut it just the right amount. I give it 2 stars because I'd like to try it again but will have to tweak it quite a bit. I think the "4 cups" of Kale was a typo..... maybe it should have been 14 cups or 4 quarts of Kale. I have know idea how one could get 6 servings out of this unless you consider "2 tablespoons" a complete serving. Really disappointed.

yum yum! I made this with curried quinoa and apple marsala pork chops. The mustard flavor comes through so be careful not to overdo it - or the vinegar for that matter. I cut the cooking time way back too - it would have been mush after 20 minutes of boiling! The cranberries and almonds made it really unique - dont leave them off!

I thought this was good - my husband really liked it. I toasted the almonds lightly (in a dry pan) before adding - but didn't find that they added much to the flavour, so if you don't have any on hand for the garmish, the recipe is still great.

By far my fav kale recipe, I didn't have almonds or cranberries and only had white vinegar but it still tuned out awesome

This recipe is a winner with everyone! I added horseradish mustard and subbed toasted pine nuts for the almonds. I also added more vinegar. I make this once a week!

This is an awesome recipe. It tastes delicious and it's so easy and quick to make. I had a huge bag of Kale (prewashed and chopped) in my fridge and wanted to use it. This recipe was perfect. I ate this dish for dinner just by itself. I followed the recommendation of other reviewers and only used 2 tsp of sugar. Maybe one would be enough too, because the cranberries add sweetness. Thank you so much for sharing this.

very good recipe, maybe a tad on the too sweet side. Kids liked the flavor but the dark green color was very unappealing. Too bad the kale is too tough still when it turns that beautiful emerald color briefly before turning an ugly dark green.

This was excellent! Followed the recipe except decreased the sugar by half. The cranberries add plenty of sweetness. No other changes are needed. Update: next time reduce sugar to 1tsp.

I loved this, I took others advice and only used 1 cup of broth and did not add any sugar, it was sweet enough. I've made it 3 times and used dried cranberries, tart cherries, and prunes, so any dried fruit will work. Also, there is no way this makes 6 servings, more like 3 small or 2 large.

I am delighted to say my first experience with kale was a good one! I made this as written and did not find it too sweet at all. The almonds add a nice crunch to the kale, which is kind of chewy. This is delicious and I was sad when it was gone!

This was the first time my husband and I had kale and we loved this recipe. We will definitely have this again.

It is really sweet -- I only added a teaspoon and a half after reading the other reviews, and it was still too sweet. If you like the taste of kale/greens, then this is not the recipe for you. On the other hand, if you are trying to mask the flavor of kale for people who don't like greens, this would be a good recipe.

Excellent, even for people who don't necessarily like kale. Definitely cut back on the sugar (I used 1tsp). I also eliminated the first 5 minutes of kale cooking, as I prefer my kale less done. Also, it's fabulous if you substitute for cranberries the Super Cranberry & Pomegranate Blend from Trader Joe's. The whole family liked it, including our 8yo daughter!

Absolutely loved it! Followed it to a T & was perfect. Next time I will use 1 less tsp of sugar. That's bc it was a tad too sweet for me however my husband loved it! Best kale recipe. Didn't need to substitute or change like some of other recipes. Def 5 stars!!

I used a one pound bag of kale and did not have cranberries or almonds on hand, do not skip the sugar! This dish had a great flavor. Next time I will add the cranberries and almonds! Thanks

We loved it!! I never made kale before but my daughter brought some home and I found this recipe. My daughter is running out for more because she and I ate almost the whole thing before dinner. Didn't have cranberries and substituted pecans!!

yum! i only used half the sugar but next time i'll skip the sugar and substitute with xtra cranberries.

this was yummy. i think i cooked the kale for too long. not sure i'd make it again but it was a fun experimentation!

Love this recipe! I have made it multiple times, but with some modifications. I use spicy mustard instead of dijon, red wine vinegar instead of cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup of preserves (usually strawberry or raspberry) instead of dried cranberries. I also usually leave out the almonds unless I have them around. It is a hit every time!

I hate hate hate kale. I only eat it because I know its good for me. HOWEVER... this recipe has given me a different opinion on this nasty, curley leaf. I think I may have started to appreciate it. Well done. Good recipe. Wouldn't change a thing.

This was very good. It was the first time I have ever tried to cook kale. Got a bunch at the farmers market and this is what we did to it. My only variation from the recipe was to leave out the almonds (hubby doesn't like them). Even my 9 yo liked it.

I never have the cranberries or almonds for this dish but otherwise I prepare it exactly as called for and it is delicious.

very good.

I made this almost doubling the kale and used 3tsps of sugar. I slightly increased all the other ingredients to adjust for the added kale. When I first tasted it, I thought it was great, but after eating a portion of it, I felt kind of sick from the sweetness. Which is strange since I have such a sweet tooth, I thought it would be perfect for me. The next day it was not good at all. the sweetness had intensified and I couldn't eat it. I will try making it again maybe cutting out the sugar all together, and reducing the cranberries. My husband thought it was much too sweet as well.

This recipe makes greens edible. I have used Kale and collards. Both work just as well. I only use 2tsp of sugar, otherwise I use as written

Delicious! I did not add any sugar or cranberries because I am following an clean eating diet plan. Guess what?? It had a sweet flavor without them! I also used spicy brown mustard instead of Dijon. Maybe it was that or the apple cider that sweetened it?? Either way, this is going into my veggie rotation. Thanks for sharing!

Best kale recipe I've found yet - my husband even liked it!

Made this recipe last night and it was a hit. Kale is something we are adding to our diet since it is such a healthy vegetable. Followed the recipe exactly and my husband and I were very pleased. Delicious and easy to prepare

Oh wow...absolutely LOVE this. I added crumbled bacon in there too. Served with side of ham. YUMMMMM

This is a really good Kale recipe. I made it for a pot luck dinner last night and everyone enjoyed it. I halved the sugar as suggested and used dried Tart Cherries instead of the cranberries as that is all I had. I also added a bit extra kale as I wanted to finish off the bunch that I bought. Definitely a hit and super easy to make.

This is delicious and I replaced the white sugar with brown, and the apple vinegar with plum vinegar! A big hit at brunch paired with a vegetable egg torte.

Agreed ...way too sweet. Kale still very chewy. Will try different recipe next time.

OMG! Yummy!

This kale recipe is wonderful! I would recommend cutting the sugar at least in 1/2. Prepared with 1/2 it is still plenty sweet. Also, doubling the recipe if you are feeding more than 3 people would be good. kale cooks down and this stuff goes fast!

Not sure what I did wrong, but the flavors were so strong we were unable to even eat it.

This is very flavorful and tasty! I didn't have dijon so I used yellow mustard and used walnuts instead of almonds. Delish!

This was good. I subbed agave for sugar, used veg broth, and skipped the step of simmering the kale covered for 5 min (I prefer mine less cooked). I liked the sweet/tangy combination. I'm pretty sure this recipe originally called for 4T of sugar, which is probably why early reviews say the dish is too sweet. I found it just right (and I don't like overly sweet foods).

This was really easy and tasted good. I was surprised that it even reheated well. Will do again.

Meh.

This is the first highly rated recipe I've tried that didn't really measure up for me. I followed the recipe exactly except I halved the sugar as others suggested, and it was still too sweet. I'll try another recipe next time.

Good, but too sweet. Next time will leave out the sugar and add chopped kalamata olives to make it a bit more savory. We also added some leftover cooked rice to soak up the extra juice. This made a great side dish.

This was quite a unique dish but my wife and I weren't "gaga" over it. I thought the apple cider vinegar taste was a bit too pronounced but my wife disagreed. Although it was pretty easy to fix, I'm not sure we'll try it again.

This was a very tasty recipe, and the combination of sweet and sour was perfect. Be sure to cook it long enough, as it will be "chewy" if you don't. My husband didn't like it, but he is notoriously picky. I think spinich would be better, but kale is really good for you. Bacon would add extra flavor, but also extry calories and fat.

I'm a huge lover of kale to begin with, but I think I would have devoured this even if I'd had it back when I hated all veggies. This dish is divine, and I can't wait to make it for a dear friend who is a majorly picky eater: I bet she snarfs it down happily! :)

I liked the combination of almonds with kale, but I found the overall recipe too sweet for my tastes. The leftovers on day 2 were better since the flavors had a chance to mellow out a bit.

Very, very delicious! Since kale is so healthy and good for you, I'm always trying new different ways to make it and this dish is really great. I followed the recipe exactly as is, just forgot to add the almonds at the end. Served with grilled salmon and roasted sweet potatoes.

VERY good! I hadn't tried Kale until just recently. This one is definitely a keeper in the recipe box. Kale is so good for you and this recipe is delicious.

this is a winner as is.. Really tasty

Good, but a little sweet. I'd cut the sugar in half and go lighter on the Cranberries. This would be great at Thanksgiving

Too sweet!

I have only ever had Kale once and it was so so, But wanted to find ways to cook it that were tasty as it is so good for you. This recipe ROCKS. Thanks!

Very good kale dish - made as written minus the almonds

yum this was very tasty we have alot of kale in the garden so i added more than the 4 cups

Wow! What a delicious recipe and interesting mix of flavors. My friends and I couldn't get over how delicious this was! We ate it with quinoa, which added a nice nutty grain flavor.

I tried this recipe for the first time this Thanksgiving and it was great. It really went well with a turkey dinner. It was very flavourful and I'll definitely be making it again.

Excellent! Changes I made include: no sugar, using spicy brown mustard and cooking kale for only half the amount of recommended time. (I like my kale a little crunchy.) I would definitely make this recipe again.

Not bad! This was my first time eating kale and I'd be willing to make it again. I'm not a veggie lover, so the fact that I couldn't taste the kale was key.