If you saw kale on match.com, you may just want to give it a wink.
Kale just grows on you. You may not be attracted to it at first. Then you go on a first date with it and try it in a smoothie or in a salad. Not so bad. And then as you get to know it, and you realize how good you feel when you have it in your life, you start to see it has a lot of potential. Eventually you just fall in love with it.
Firstly, kale is a cruciferous vegetable and these types of vegetables increase the liver’s ability to neutralize toxins. It is also an excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and a good source of calcium. Another benefit is that eating greens cleanses the body and gut, and contributes to an alkaline environment in the body rather than an acidic environment.
There are different types of kale. Two common types are Lacinato Kale which is dark green with purple hues and the leaves are long and flat, and Green Kale which is brighter green and very curly. Both kales have an earthy, green taste but the Lacinato tastes more bitter.
Kale is a vegetable you should try to eat 2-3 times per week, cooked or raw. A serving is 1 cup cooked or about 2 cups raw.
Try adding chopped kale to soup or add a handful of raw kale to a morning smoothie. Enjoy a raw kale salad for lunch or dinner. Saute kale as a side dish as you would spinach.
This kale salad is simple and delicious. Prepare it with the dressing about an hour before you serve it so the kale leaves will soften and marinate.
Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of green kale
- 2 T . pine nuts
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 T . extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T . organic dried cranberries
- grated parmesan to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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Wash the kale and remove the leaves from the thick rib in the middle of the leaf. Discard the ribs or save to add to smoothies or to make vegetable broth.
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Dry the leaves and chop.
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Massage the kale leaves for about one minute to soften them.
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Toast the pine nuts over medium low heat on stovetop until browned, about 5 minutes.
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Combine the kale leaves and cranberries in serving bowl.
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Top with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Toss. Let sit for up to one hour before serving.
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Sprinkle with pine nuts before eating.
Also, you can check out some great Kale Recipes from mindbodygreen.com here.
