Having a stash of this DIY Green Superfood Powder on hand will boost the nutritional value of any meal, and not even the fussiest of eaters will notice.
Not only is this DIY Green Superfood Powder the perfect way to get more nutrition into our daily diets, it’s a superb way to preserve fresh, seasonal produce at its prime.
We’ve been clearing out the poly tunnels for winter (actually, our small poly tunnel has finally died and been dismantled. We kept patching it and patching it, but this last storm finally finished it off) and that meant a bumper crop of Cavolo Nero (black kale) to process.
Normally, when I process a tonne of green leafy veg, I tend to clean, dry, remove tough stalks, slice the leaves into very thin ribbons, chuck in a bag and freeze. These ribbons are so useful to throw a large handful of into casseroles and stir fries, but my freezer is currently bursting at the seams so I needed to come up with a different way of storing it for the darker months.
DIY Green Superfood Powder
So out came the dehydrator, in went the mass of dark green bubbly kale leaves, and a few hours later out came these crispy dry sheets of green goodness. When they were fully cool I chucked them into my high power blender and whizzed the leaves up into the finest bright green powder.
Yes, that entire basket of Cavolo Nero didn’t even reach the blender blades once it had been dried and powdered! I’m telling you, this is the way to hide green goodness into other foods. Somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a teaspoon of DIY green superfood powder equates to eating one whole portion of kale. Mind. Officially. Blown.
Nutritionally speaking, you only lose trace amounts of vitamins and minerals from vegetables that are dehydrated at low temperatures. And don’t fret if you don’t own a dehydrator, as you can still dry veggies in the oven. Please see the recipe notes below for more info.
When using, to maintain maximum nutrients, stir it in towards the end of the cooking time. And bear in mind that being a powder, it’ll also slightly thicken dishes too.
We’ve had such fun using this powder in unusual ways and we’re yet to find a meal you can’t hide a teaspoon or two of it in. Jonny’s had it in his porridge (that was so purty!), I put a heaped teaspoon in my Thai chicken curry this lunch time, and the best comedy value was the Green Eggs & Ham we had last night :) I’ll make it again, in daylight, and share a pic with you all. It looks so funny that I think even Dr Seuss would be suitably impressed.
Mix it up with various green veggies
And don’t think you have to just stick to kale! To get an ever changing range of vitamins and minerals shake it up and dry any green veggies you fancy. You may want to avoid the alliums (onion, leek and spring onions) to start with, but why not try lettuce, spinach, watercress, beetroot greens, cabbage, broccoli… in other words whatever is fresh, in season and therefore cheap!
Mix it up in each batch too. The more variety of veggies you put in, the wider the range of nutrients you get out.
And it’s worth noting that I removed the stalk from my kale because it was thicker and would therefore take a lot longer to dry than the thin leaves. However the stalks will still dry beautifully, just dry them with other tough veggies like broccoli stalks or root veggies until dry enough that they’ll snap.
Need some other ideas for using this awesome DIY green superfood powder? Here’s a little list off the top of my head, but please share your favourite uses for it in the comments and I’ll add them in.
- Stir through omelettes or scrambled eggs
- Add to your morning smoothie
- It’ll just disappear into gravies and sauces
- Add an extra boost to curries & stews
- Add to cakes, bakes, muffins, pancakes etc
- Non edibles such as face packs, soaps, bath salts etc
Dehydrating Food
So I’ve been dehydrating for a very long time. Growing up with an Aga in the kitchen meant this is something we’ve always done. However, when I moved out of home, I missed that Aga and ao bought this cheap as chips dehydrator which has been a work horse for 10+ years.
The only drawback for us with the above one was that you couldn’t get a whole lot in it. I’d long pined over the excalibur dehydrator, often seen as the King of dehydrators, but as my cheap one was still going strong I didn’t feel I could make the leap. However, Froothie, the Australian company that makes my much loved high speed blender, recently brought out their own Optimum Dehydrator and it ranks pretty highly next to the Excalibur. Go check out the comparisons on their page to find out more.
Being oblong rather than round, and much much larger, the shelves hold a tonne more produce than I’m used to drying in one go. And I also like the ability to change the temperature depending on what you’re drying. It’s also way quieter than my old model too.
Do let me know know if you give this DIY Green Superfood Powder a go & I look forward to seeing your funky green dishes on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter! Don’t forget to tag me so I can send you a like!
Jane x
DIY Green Superfood Powder
Wash leaves well in plenty of cold water. Drain and dry by patting with a clean tea towel.
Rip out the centre stalk, and lay the leaves out on the dehydrator shelves in an even layer.
Dry for 5-6 hours at the vegetable setting, or until the leaves crumble between your fingers. You may need to swap the top & bottom shelves around half way through, to ensure all levels dry at the same rate.
Complete the first two stages above, but lay out onto as many large baking sheets as you can fit in your oven.
Pop the trays into the oven, and set it at its lowest temperature setting. Leave the door cracked open, so that the steam can escape and ideally leave it on overnight. Please note this is not as energy efficient as using a dehydrator.
Chris says
Hi Janie. Haven’t seen you for ages. Great idea! We’re lucky enough to have an Aga, On the rack in the simmering oven?
Jane Sarchet says
Hey Chris! Yes, you’ve got it. Lay the leaves out on cooling racks, you can even stack them if you have a few, leaving some space for the air to circulate in between the racks. Leave the door cracked open a bit for the first few hours to let the moisture evaporate, and just leave them to dry right out.
Do let me know how you get on, and how long it takes (it could take 24 hours or longer!)
Jane x
Choclette says
Your photos are just superb Janie. When I hit the jackpot, I’m hiring you for all my photo shoots. The Optimum dehydrator is just fantastic for powders. I’ve only made nettle powder so far, but I was super impressed and have been meaning to try others. Love your cavolo nero powder.
Jane Sarchet says
Awww, thanks Choccy :) I am loving this powder, sadly it doesn’t last long but I’m doing another batch every week or two and still have a fair bit of kale left in the garden.
Shelley says
Hi Janie,
Thank you for the recipe! I’m terrible at eating enough vegetables, and this could be the answer!
Thanks,
Shelley
Jane Sarchet says
Ha! Fingers crossed it makes your veg life easier Shelley :)
Jane x