VOTM - Kale: Ways 2 and 3

So I did it!  I managed to prepare my Vegetable of the Month - Kale - in three different ways.

As a recap, my first way was in a White Beans Stew & Greens dish.

Way #2: Kale Chips.  In my bio over there to the right, I resolved to make kale chips.  And technically I did make them.  I just didn't make them well.  They weren't awful.  But they weren't great.  First off, I didn't cut them correctly...I left on some thick stems which made me gag at one point.  I also possibly didn't dry them well enough after washing the leaves.  And lastly I definitely DEFINITELY accidentally over salted them.  And I love salty things so for me to say it was too salty says a lot.  But the few chips I did get that were nice and dry and crisp and just the right salty were absolutely scrumptious.  So I will definitely be trying these again.  (If anyone out there has any kale chip tips for me, please pass them along!)

Way #3 - Kale & Mango Smoothie.  As recommended by the instructor over at the Bikram Yoga Studio, 2 mornings in a row I whipped up this kale and mango smoothie.  It definitely turned out bright green so if that color isn't appealing, this might not be the recipe for you.  But my word, oh my, this thing was tasty.  I crammed the bottom of the Bullet full of kale, then topped it off with as much frozen mango as I could fit and then some water.  (For the record, after blending for a minute or so I added another couple mango chunks).  So, so, so stinking good.

So there you go!  My recipe of the month challenge was a success!  And kale is definitely something now that will make it into my regular buying rotation.  Now I have 5 days to think of my February VOTM.  Any suggestions??