The Ultimate Wonder Drug- KALE!

While iceberg lettuce can be very refreshing, it has almost no nutritional value, yet traditionally that’s what you get for a salad.  When do you see kale at restaurants?  Are you not sure what it looks like?  It’s that green leafy stuff that is usually the garnish on the side of the plate, next to the baked potato.  NOBODY PUTS KALE IN THE CORNER (of the plate)!  Kale is so much more than garnish!

Everyone should eat more kale.  The tough curly leaves are like little scrub brushes for your body.  If you want your pots to shine, you have to use some steel wool.  If you want you to shine, eat some kale.

Kale gives you a mega dose of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  It is especially high in Vitamin K, which helps to keep your bones strong.  Kale also contains calcium.  It’s true, you can get calcium from things that are not dairy.  Though the USDA would have you believe otherwise, cause guess who makes up the USDA.  I’ll give you a hint, It’s not the kale farmers, but a lot of them sure do make a lot of money from dairy.  Kale also significantly lowers your risk of cancer.  The phytonutrients in kale help to detoxify the body.  It is a great source of fiber.  Kale can prevent cataracts, it keeps your lungs healthy, keeps your heart healthy, keeps your brain going, among many other benefits.  If you want to live to your potential, eat kale, and eat it often.

Here is a super easy recipe to use with kale.  Feel free to embellish on this recipe, I’m just sharing the basics.  You’ll see in the picture, that I put capers in the kale and sliced instead of chopped the garlic.  Get creative.  I had a delicious dish of kale in which I used garlic, black beans, sesame oil and tamari.  It worked, and it was one of my favorites!  You can also use kale in soups, pastas, you name it.  There is a traditional Irish dish with mashed potatoes mixed with kale called Colcannon.  I wonder how that would be with sweet potatoes?

SAUTEED KALE

Ingredients:
One bunch of Kale
Garlic
Olive Oil

Directions:
1-  Rinse the kale
2-  Pull the kale from the stems or chop up the kale into bit size pieces
3-  Heat up some olive oil in pan (about 1-2 tablespoons)
4-  Add some crushed garlic (however much you like- I go heavy with 5-6 cloves)
5-  Add the kale, throw in some water
6-  Cook until it is wilted, but still bright green- just a few minutes.  Stir it every now and then in the pan to make sure all the kale gets cooked evenly.
7-  Eat and enjoy!

If you don’t mind adding another step, I like to steam the kale first, and then sauté it in the olive oil and garlic for only about 1-2 minutes.

September 10, 2009. Tags: greens, vegan, vegetables. Recipe.