Lime Maple Roasted Kale

Lime maple roasted kale baked with garlic served with squeezed lime and a drizzle of maple syrup. Perfect for a plant-based side dish to your main meal. 

This year we decorated the Christmas tree in the dark. 

On this particular evening, I cleared our schedules for Christmas tree decorating and set the scene. 

The ornaments were ready, the mini tree perched in the living room, the wine bottle uncorked and breathing. 

And then…the power went out for most of the evening in our Maryland neighborhood area!

But we didn’t let that stop us from rocking around the Christmas tree, friends.

Instead, we lit soy candles and turned on our brightest camping lights, treading room to room with flashlights glowing in hand.

We decorated the tree by candlelight with Christmas music blasting from my iPhone speakers. 

When the lights finally came back on an hour later, we were almost disappointed.

After the twinge of annoyance, we had fully committed to a cozy evening by candlelight instead of the TV. 

We were, however, happy to have the kitchen fully functioning again. 

I told M we could just turn off the lights…but maybe after we serve dinner?

For today’s dinner, I’m showing you how to transform cold kale into a warm and flavorful side dish. 

This Lime Maple Roasted Kale is baked with garlic and served with squeezed lime and a drizzle of maple syrup.

It’s perfect for a plant-based partner to your main meal this winter!

The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dinner night with friends. 

My friend brought bunches of green kale raw and magically transformed it into a delicious roasted kale in under 3o minutes. 

She then dressed the kale with fresh citrus and honey.

I was mystified and knew I *had* to make my own variation. 

The combination of tart lime and sweet maple is excellent to dress roasted kale. 

You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes, here, for a bit of spice!

Here’s what you need to make Lime Maple Roasted Kale:

• Cal-Organic Green Kale
• avocado oil
• minced garlic
• Himalayan sea salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• lime
• pure maple syrup

That’s it!

The trick to this recipe is to roast the kale at low heat so it won’t dry out or burn during the cooking process. 

First, preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

While the oven is pre-heating, prepare your kale. 

I used my favorite Cal-Organic Green Kale as the star of this recipe. 

You’ve probably heard of the kale craze before.

Kale is a nutritious leafy green with a sharp, earthy flavor that’s delicious in salads, soups, and stews. 

If you’re not usually a kale fan, you *must* try it roasted! 

I love choosing Cal-Organic Green Kale in my recipes and meals because Cal-Organic is focused on advancing innovation in farming and surpassing  the standard for organic practices. 

You can rest assured that their produce is farmed free of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, and GMOs. 

Locate Cal-Organic produce at a store near you by identifying their beautiful purple tag. 

To prepare the kale, make sure it’s well-dried after rinsing.

The drier the kale leaves, the better it will roast so you get nice crispy edges instead of limp lifeless leaves. 

I like to use a salad spinner to get all of the moisture off. 

You can also soak up some of the excess moisture with towels or paper towels. 

After the kale is rinsed, shredded, and dried, add the kale to a large mixing bowl with the avocado oil.

Massage the oil into the leaves with your hands until they’re soft and well-coated. 

Yes, you actually want to use your hands here to coat the leaves well! 

Transfer the massaged kale to the baking sheet in an even layer.

It’s OK for some of the pieces to be overlapping, because we’re roasting kale, not baking into kale chips.

(I have another recipe for that!) 

Sprinkle the kale with the minced garlic, Himalayan sea salt, and an optional pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat.

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast the kale for 15-20 minutes, until the kale leaves are slightly crunchy on the edges.

I recommend stirring the kale leaves at the halfway point to promote even roasting! 

When the 20 minutes are up, remove the sheet pan from the oven and immediately squeeze lime and drizzle maple syrup over the baked kale.

Toss the kale with a spoon to mix the lime and maple syrup with the leaves.

That’s all, friends! 

Now you can serve the roasted kale warm with your favorite plant-based main. 

Enjoy this Lime Maple Roasted Kale as an easy green side dish.

It’s a great recipe to make if you have an abundance of kale leaves on your hands. 

I find that the baked kale is delicious paired with tofu or tempeh marinades, homemade pizza, or as the base for a green bowl or warm salad. 

You can adjust the sweetness/tartness by adding more or less maple syrup and fresh squeezed lime. 

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and reheat before serving.

Enjoy!

If you make this Lime Maple Roasted Kale, let me know! I’d love to see your plates.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me yours.

Visit my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later!

For more fun ways to use kale, check out my Kale & Sweet Potato Hash and Kale Quinoa Mushroom Risotto.

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XO Lauren

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This post is brought to you by Cal-Organic Farms, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!