Going Green with Kale

The core foundation of happiness stems from better health, with that said my first experience with kale over fifteen years ago was not a pleasant one. I was new into juicing and with my juice for life book in hand I read about the huge benefits of kale, not only was this a super food but the only food that helped get rid of cellulite! Any women with even the mere hint of a cellulite ripple would have done what I was about to do upon reading such facts, so off to the health food store as they were called in those days to buy myself some kale I went. Well to make a long story short I juiced the kale, gagged and never revisited the green until a few months ago.

Kale is everywhere these days or so it seems so I decided to give it a try, again, at a Restaurant this time, I chose a simple very finely chopped kale salad with lemon, salt, and pine nuts, I was nervous but dug in anyway. To my astonishment I loved it I actually finished it and did the finger swipe around the bowl to get the last tiny bits, in that moment I became an official Kale Fan. 

Kale is a superfood, and just one cup of this green goddess of vegetables provides health benefits well beyond flavor and satiation. Here are the top five reasons you should add kale to your diet.

1. Strong antioxidant powers: It's high in vitamin A, C, and K as well as flavonoids and carotenoids.
2. Great source of essential minerals: It's a good source of calcium and magnesium, and per calorie, it delivers more iron than beef.
3. High in fiber: Delivering five grams of fiber, kale helps with digestion and makes you feel fuller on fewer calories.
4. Very low in calories: It's just 36 calories per serving with essentially zero grams of fat.
5. Anti-inflammatory functions: With omega-3 fatty acids, kale can help fight against arthritis, asthma, and other autoimmune disorders.

Citrus Kale Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Almonds

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch kale
• 1/4 cup whole almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, honey, salt, and pepper.
2. Remove the tough stems from the kale and tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Rinse in cold water and dry with a paper towel or run through a salad spinner to remove the excess moisture.
3. Place the almonds in a skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan often to prevent burning. Heat the nuts until they are browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Once toasted, remove the pan from the heat to allow the almonds to cool, then give the nuts a rough chop.
4. In a large salad bowl, toss together the kale, almonds, cranberries, and half of the prepared vinaigrette. Pour in more of the dressing until there is enough to coat the kale without oversaturating it (the amount of dressing needed will vary since kale is sold in bunches of varying sizes; the ones I’ve been buying lately have been huge!). Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

I love my kale salad as follows: 1 serving

Chop up 2-3 handfuls of Kale as fine as you can, make sure you remove the spine (the hard part, this tastes bad and hard)

Cut a quarter lemon ( remove the seeds ) or so and squeeze on the finely chopped kale

Add a half teaspoon or so of olive oil, virgin cold pressed is best

Add either a small handful of pine nuts ( 2-3 tablespoons ) sunflowers seeds, or any nut or seed

If your nuts or seeds are salted you don't need to add salt or if so just a touch

Add kosher or unrefined salt to taste ( the salt somehow relieves the bitter taste from the kale )

Mix well and enjoy!

Kale, also known as borecole, is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. A leafy green, kale is available in curly, ornamental, or dinosaur varieties. It belongs to the Brassica family that includes cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, collards, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.