These 3 tasty recipes will make you love kale again

Kale was so cool there for a while that it soon suffered the fate of all things we sincerely, deeply, love: backlash hit.

The leafy cabbage came full circle and became virtually a parody of itself. It was soon a kind of shorthand for all that we hate about the sanctimonious clean eaters with their glowing complexions and terminally boring riffs about nut butters. We've reignited our kale-love of late, however, and these three recipes are examples of how much kale can brighten up our day.   The Perfect Kale Crisps from Oh She Glows Makes 2 trays.

Ingredients:

Approx. 1/2 bunch kale leaves 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper  

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 150°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2 Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear it up into large pieces. Wash and spin the leaves until thoroughly dry. 3 Add kale leaves into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasonings and toss to combine. 4 Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale. 5 Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. 6 Cool the kale on the sheet for 3 minutes before digging in. Enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time. 7 Repeat this process for the other half of the bunch.   Kale and Walnut Pesto from Love and Lemons About 1 cup. Ingredients: small bunch of kale (4-6 leaves, remove the thick part of the stems*) ¼ cup walnuts, toasted ½ to 1 clove of garlic ¼ cup olive oil (or more for a smoother pesto) juice & zest of one lemon salt & pepper to taste optional: grated parmesan or pecorino cheese   Directions: 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. 2 Blanch kale for about 30 seconds, remove and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking process. 3 Dry the kale a bit, squeeze out some of excess water and set on a towel for a few minutes more. 4 Blend everything together in a food processor. Pulse to create a chunky pesto, blend longer to create a smoother one. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, pepper, lemon, olive oil, as necessary.   Kale and Bean Stew adapted from Five Heart Home Serves 4. Ingredients: 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 360g chorizo, peeled and chopped 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 (400g) tins of whole, peeled tomatoes 400ml chicken stock 225g kale, tough stems removed and finely chopped/shredded 1 small bay leaf 2 (400g) cans Cannellini beans, rinsed A few dashes hot pepper sauce Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste   Directions: 1 Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add in the sausage. Stir to release the oils from the sausage and then add in the minced garlic and cook for a few minutes. 2 Pour the tomatoes and stock to the pot and increase the heat. Stir in the kale and bay leaf, bring to a boil, cover and then simmer for 5 minutes. 3 Once kale is tender, add the drained beans. Season with dashes of hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper, to taste. Stir and simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Remove bay leaf before serving.