You read that right! These Asian stuffed kale leaves are kid friendly! Just leave off the Sriracha 🙂 I wanted to create something different from typical stuffed cabbage rolls and I did not want to smother it in tomato sauce. So this stuffing is my take on an Asian Kale Roll!

Kale in our Veggie box…again!

Not Kale again! It was Thursday evening, after a very long day at work and an even longer commute. I was excited to see what we got in our veggie box this week so I quickly picked it up off our porch and carried it to the kitchen.

I pushed everything aside and made room for the box. As soon as I opened the box, I saw it. Kale. Not again, I thought! We had kale the last 2 weeks and I had been sauteing it with random dinners.

We all know how healthy kale is for us but that doesn’t mean I want to eat it every week.  It can be tough if not cooked properly, and it just doesn’t look all that appetizing!

Honestly, I prefer chard, but I had to make do with what we got. My resolution this year was to waste less food, so I had to get creative.

Kale is high in:

Protein, Fiber, Vitamins A, C and K, Folate, Vitamin B

And Helps With:

Inflammation, Damage from Free Radicals, is a Detoxifier, and helps with Healthy Vision

Want to read more about the health benefits of Kale? Check out this page!: https://draxe.com/health-benefits-of-kale/

Stuffed Kale Leaves

I wouldn’t group this recipe into the easy kale recipes category since it takes some time to make, but I also wouldn’t call it difficult. If you have made cabbage rolls before, you know how difficult it can be to wrap the rolls without tearing them. Sometimes they rip and tear before you even have a chance to try rolling them.

I’m convinced that this is the main reason people have come up with recipes for Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls!

Well, that is where the kale leaves shined! Because they are so thick, they actually rolled easily. There is a sweet spot though. I found that boiling the leaves for 4 minutes was perfect. Anything longer resembled a cooked cabbage leaf and was difficult to roll without tearing. Anything shorter and the kale stem wasn’t pliable enough to roll.

How to Make Asian Stuffed Kale Leaves

This clean eating recipe is easier than you think and even the kids enjoyed it! They made faces and didn’t want to eat the kale, but after it is cooked, and when eaten with the stuffing, you can’t even taste it.

So they ended up eating everything.

Start by boiling 6 cups of water in a large pot. It needs to be large enough to fit the kale leaf, but it is also ok if the edges of the leaves fold onto themselves.

While the water is boiling, wash your kale leaves and trim the stems.

Prepare the Filling for the Stuffed Kale Leaves

The filling is simple to prepare. We used 1 cup of cooked quinoa. You can make this ahead of time on the stove, or just use leftovers if you have it. Check out this post if you need to know How to Cook Quinoa.

Cooked Quinoa does great in the freezer so it is a good idea to make a large batch and freeze what you don’t use.

Once the quinoa is cooked, the filling can be made! To give it the Asian flavor, I added garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. If you don’t have oyster sauce, it can be excluded. It just gives it a sweeter subtle flavor.

Try adding a touch of honey if you exclude the oyster sauce. I also added ground turkey to give it some substance!

Once the filling is complete, you can roll your leaves!

Wrapping the Kale Leaves

To wrap the kale leaves, start by taking one leaf and laying it flat on a cutting board, or another large surface. Make sure the stem is facing you. Place about 1/4 cup of filling at the base of the leaf.

Fold in the sides over the filling and start rolling from the bottom to the top. Gently use your fingers to keep the filling in the leaf. Once rolled, you should be able to easily pick it up and transfer it to a greased pan. Take your time with the first few until you get the hang of it!

Now go on and try these stuffed kale leaves! Get creative too. Try adding carrots, broccoli or spinach…whatever you have in the fridge! Be sure to come back and let me know what you and your family thought!

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