Krazy About Kale

I have been eating copious amounts of kale lately, and I have to say I've fallen in love with this wonderful  tough leafy green for several reasons. One is that it's very healthy for you, and I'll elaborate on that in a moment, but mostly I love it because I adore bitter greens. You can soak it, and massage it in olive oil and citrus, and it lasts for days. Kale is one tough green. You can also saute it with a little white wine, and garlic, salt and pepper, and it makes a great side dish with your entree'.

Beware that cooking kale will compromise some of it's health benefits. In other words, raw kale has the best health bang for the buck.

Preparing meals is always time consuming, especially for people who don't have a lot of expendable time. You can make a batch of kale, and not be worried that it will ruin in a hurry like something as delicate as spring vegetables or spinach might.

Ok, so let's talk about the health benefits of kale that cannot be ignored. One cup of kale has 20% of our daily dietary fiber, only 36 calories, and zero grams of fat. Kale promotes digestion, prevents constipation, (great bowel movements with kale) lowers blood sugar, and curbs overeating.

Kale is cruciferous, rich in isothiocyanates which is a phytonutrient, and has been found to be a fighter of H pylori bacterial growth in the stomach. This bacterial growth can potentially lead to gastric cancer. Kale has more of the mineral iron in it than beef.

Kale is a superstar of  curotenoids and falvonoids which protect our cells from free radicals that can cause oxidative stress. The key flavonoids Kaemferol and Querctin in addition to 45 other flavonoids found in kale that fight the formation of cancerous cells. Vitamins C, A, and K are found in abundance, and manganese which also battles oxidation.

You just got to love it. Now if you need some meat  or cheese just toss it on, and make yourself a super Cobb salad with your favorite salad dressing. Geri and I like hard boiled eggs, tofu, quinoa, or nuts for some protein as a substitute for meat sometimes.

Leftovers, farro, cooked barley, cranberries, raisins, or reconstituted dry cherries are great too. The possibilities, just like our imaginations, are almost limitless.

Here's a recipe that I use.  This as my base salad, and like I said add whatever else suits my fancy, or whatever you have on hand.

Thanks for blogging on.

Make Food, Not War.

Peace

                                               Super kale Salad

Ingredients: (salad dressing for 2)
1 bunch kale
2 tablespoon olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon herbs of Provence
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives halved
1 cup red bell pepper julienne
1/4 cup red onion julienne
1/2 cup of grated carrots

Directions:
Be sure to wash the Kale several times, especially if it's organic. Take hold of each leaf, and tear it down the middle, discarding the tough spiny portion of the leaf. Either chop it finely into little squares or julienne it, whatever is your preference. Then immerse it a cold water bath and spin dry. You can then put it in plastic bags with a few holes poked in it, and store it away in the fridge for future use. A couple of hours before dinner or the day before you're going to make your salad massage the kale with the dressing, and let it sit in the fridge, then take it out, and add your topping when you're ready. It's that simple.

fresh kale

ripping leaves from stalk

julianne