Forget the fries. Would you like McKale Chips with that? If anyone needed further proof that “it” food green kale has gone mainstream, here it is: McDonald’s is reportedly considering putting it on the menu.

In a report last week, restaurant analysts at the Wall Street firm Janney Capital Markets said their industry sources assert that “McDonald's U.S. plans to roll out kale as an ingredient” – possibly in salads or a smoothie – “in its restaurants at some point in the not-too-distant future." Perhaps next year.

The powers that be at Mickey D have neither confirmed nor denied that kale will appear alongside the chain's Big Macs and Quarter Pounders, but a spokesperson for the company did tell CNN/Money that “as we continue to listen to our customers, we're always looking at new and different ingredients that they may enjoy."

It could be a way for the fast-food chain to compete with fast-casual and fancy-burger upstarts, like Shake Shack, Panera and its own spinoff company Chipotle, some say. “McDonald's clearly aims to raise consumers' perception of the quality of its food,” Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski said in the report. “Adding kale to the menu in some way could help be a step in this direction."

Sounds like Grimace, the Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese may soon get a new pal. Professor Kale?