If you have a vegetable resistor in your house there are techniques to ease your green naysayer into veggie acceptance. I call them “starter recipes”. For example, when I was young, I didn’t care for avocadoes. They seemed mushy and bland and I didn’t understand what the fuss was about. Then I was introduced to guacamole. Mushy became creamy and bland was transformed into buttery. With salty chips, zippy lime juice and chunky tomatoes, I thought that stuff was the bomb. It didn’t take long to go from loving guacamole to craving pure avocadoes; it was just a matter of transforming it into something else extra tasty before I could embrace the pure form. (Just don’t go the route of dousing everything in Ranch dressing. In my experience that just makes for a lot of eaters who like Ranch.)
This recipe has that ability to turn kale dissenters into believers. Our Merquén Infused Maple Syrup is brushed onto the leaves along with some olive oil to keep it moist and then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. The result is crispy and salty with a smidge of heat from the Merquén. If they come out right, the taste of the kale is not masked but elevated and that just might lead to a future kale lover.
Crispy Kale with Merquén and Parmesan
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Merquén Infused Maple Syrup
- Salt
- 2-3 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
Turn oven to 400. Rinse the kale leaves, pat them dry and remove the middle stem, taking care to keep the leaf as intact as possible.
Mix the olive oil and Merquén Maple in a small bowl and brush on all sides of the kale. Sprinkle with salt and Parmesan cheese.
Place in the oven and bake for about 7 minutes. The leaves should just start to turn brown but too brown and they will be burnt-tasting. Serve immediately.
