If you were wondering what your least favorite vegetable is, I can answer that question for you. It’s the kale stem. Pack it up, let’s go home.
Yeah, yeah, the stem alone doesn’t make a whole vegetable, but the point is, the majority (or all) of the time, we discard kale stems because…yeah…they’re a stem and they kind of suck. BUT, the stem has nutrients and the majority of the fiber in it.
[Back it up with a heavy beat and base ] Kale stems (uh huh): it’s where the nutrients is at.
Did you like that ditty? Don’t answer that.
It’s no mystery that green smoothies are a thing. You, me, Maria, we’ve all shoved some spinach or kale in a blender with fruit and downed the nitty gritty beverage for a little fiber and vitamin injection. Who’s Maria? Got me.
But you can add other things to your smoothies. Things that you normally throw away. Things like kale stems. And that’s what we’re doing today.
Waste not, want not. Get it! Chest bump (grunt).
Okay, seriously. This is where I give you information. Kale stems contain a great deal of fiber; however, there is debate as to whether they contain less nutrition or more nutrition than the leaves. Like raw kale leaves (or any cruciferous vegetable), the stems can be difficult to digest. So maybe don’t over-do it if this is your first rodeo.
When adding kale stems to your smoothie, there are some basics you may want to know. Here’re some kale stem smoothie tricks of the trade:
Trick numero uno: Don’t add too many. I probably don’t need to explain this one to you.
Trick deux: Use ice in your smoothie. I normally use frozen bananas instead of ice, which results in an ultra smooth texture. The way I see it, adding ice makes the grittiness of the kale stem a little less noticeable. Less stand-outish. Less the center of attention. It allows you to shut your kale stem up. Whoa, aggressive!
Trick drei: This isn’t a trick, but it’s a fact: kale stems taste less kale-y than kale leaves. Ergo, you don’t need to mask the flavor as much with a stem smoothie than a leaf smoothie. Ergo, strawberry banana. True story.
Trick quatre: High powered blenders make veggie-included smoothies a million times more tolerable. Â I realize not everyone has a fancy blender (and don’t shy away from kale smoothies if you don’t have one), but my Vitamix
pulverizes anything I put in it and achieves uniform texture, which (like I covered in trick deux) is optimal.
P.S. Did anyone notice I used the same glass and napkin for this smoothie as I did two days ago for my roasted fig and walnut parfait? Is that like wearing the same pair of pants two days in a row? If so, that wouldn’t be uncharacteristic of me…in fact, I should wear the same glass more often…uh…I don’t know where I was going with that, but hopefully you do.
Strawberry Banana Kale Stem Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup coconut milk*
- 2 to 3 kale stems
- 7 ice cubes
Instructions
- Put it all in a blender and blend until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
More things you can do with kale stems:
Cauliflower and Kale Stem Soup by Delightful Delicious
Kale Stem Crostini by Eat this Poem
Pickled Kale Stems by Wino Sapien
I’ve been throwing away all my stems, like a chump! Glad to see something I can do with these, pinning!
Oh wow – I learned something new today thanks to you!
I had no idea that the nutrients lay in the stem, or that the stem was the least kale tasting!
I think this is probably the only way I could get my daughter to “drink” her kale 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing!
Okay, I am intrigued. I definitely need to give this smoothie a try! It’s all about balance, right?
I love your recommendation about using bananas instead of ice. It especially comes in handy when you have a few bananas that are going bad, and you need to get rid of them.
You much good info in this post. Thanks for the yummy recipe, as well as all the helpful tips. Very informative!
damn girl. I’ve been discarding my stems for way too long now. I will never go back now! love all the ingredients and tips that go along with this smoothie!
Love this idea! I always throw away my kale stems–excited to try this!
Ok, whoa! I never even knew the stem was edible! Alright, I guess I assumed you could eat it, but never thought too! I love kale and go through a bunch or two a week, so this is kind of perfect for me!! Cannot wait to try it!
You know what’s funny? (Funny weird, not funny haha…although maybe funny haha depending on your sense of humor…) I literally said the words, “I’m not sure about kale in green smoothies”, and then I clicked on your page and saw this post. Like, immeeeeeeeeeeeediately. KISMET! THE STARS ALIGNED! GOOD JUJU! I dunno. I’m done.
My dog Enzo LOVES the kale stems! Luckily I’ve learned to put them in smoothies to tolerate them instead of giving them all to him. This looks so good and sounds delicious with the strawberries. yummy!
Wow! Awesome, super-informative and (of course :D) beautiful post! I really like kale but have never thought to make such good use of the stems – brilliant! I love that, although it has green elements (well, one green thing!), this smoothie doesn’t have the off-putting green color that makes green smoothies so suspicious to the veggie-averse (like … many kids!)! Gotta pin this ASAP to share with my fans and followers! Thanks, Julia!
And this is the time when I stop tossing out my kale stems! I always thought the stem was a little too gnarly to eat. Giving this a try and adding some stems to my smoothie tomorrow morning.
I always make apple smoothies, very boring, this has given me so many more ideas – thanks x
Not only great information, but I love the writing! Marry me? I’m okay if it’s only a “virtual” marriage. I’ll take what I can get.
xoxo,
Your future (virtual) husband
Hi Karl,
I will gladly accept your marriage proposal under the condition that we can have our virtual wedding on World of Warcraft. Thank you for your interest.
Your future virtual (World of Warcraft) wife,
Julia
Hi Julia i have a question. I’d like to add a raw pasteurized egg for health benefit and for thickening it just a bit! Is it ok to add it or would it ruin this delicious smoothie?
P.S also i am adding some rhubarb stems
Hi Haley! I don’t think adding a raw egg would ruin the smoothie, and actually I’m very curious to know how it turns out. The smoothie has plenty of flavor, so I assume it would mask any egg flavor. Let me know if you try it!
Sure you got it , I will let you know pal,once I am getting me a stronger blender type such as the Ninja within the month then I will post you with a new comment 🙂
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