This week on Minnesota Live, I wanted to get out into the garden to show you one of the things I love growing most: dinosaur kale. In fact, this year it’s the only type of kale I planted because I find it to be the most delicious variety both raw in salad, roasted into chips, added soups or sauteed and added to a pasta. It’s a really forgiving plant to grow and it also looks beautiful. The leaves look like what we imagine dinosaur skin looked like, hence the nickname. But Lacinato Kale also goes by the name Tuscan Kale because it’s so prevalent in the Tuscany region of Italy.

The recipe I love making most with this kale comes from Dr. Andrew Weil and his True Food cookbook. It’s super simple – chopped kale, toasted breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. I’ve been making this salad for years and it never disappoints. You can find the full recipe here!

One more way I like to enjoy kale is to roast it into “chips.” The method is a breeze – just line a jelly roll pan with parchment and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Tear the kale into large pieces, removing the tough stem. Arrange in a single layer on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with nutritional yeast and freshly ground pepper. Roast for about 8 minutes. A tiny splash of red wine vinegar at the end adds a nice acidic bite! Hope you all enjoy the kale!