Hail to Kale!

I love Kale. It’s one of my favorite foods and if you were to open my refrigerator you could pretty much count on finding a bunch (or two) in there. Wait a minute while I go check … Yep, there it is! You may be wondering how I fell into this love affair with my cruciferous friend and I have to tell you, it hasn’t always been this way. Just a few short years ago while grocery shopping at my local Whole Foods or wandering up and down the aisles of my local farmers market, I’d notice the kale there … lush, green and obviously packed with nutrition, but it rarely made its way home with me. On the few occasions it did, it was more likely to make it into the trash than into my stomach. I really wanted to eat it and knew that I was missing out on something great, I just couldn’t figure out what to do with it. That was until I took my first raw foods class with Leslie Marioni at the Whole Foods in Sonoma, CA. where she taught us how to properly cut and de-stem the kale and then showed us how to prepare a delicious kale salad. It certainly didn’t taste anything like the kale I’d eaten in the past and suddenly I couldn’t get enough of it. I was hooked. I remember her saying that if I didn’t change anything else but simply added this kale salad weekly, I would be making a huge difference in my health profile and would feel the difference, and boy was she right!

So, before we talk about how you can incorporate kale into your diet (and your life), let’s take a closer look at my cruciferous friend and just why it’s so darn good for you. Cruciferous Vegetables include other great veggies such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens and so on. The process of chopping and/or chewing these super foods releases anti-cancer enzymes in the liver which are said to actually disable cancer causing agents in the body and in particular help to prevent colon, breast and ovarian cancers. Kale also gets high marks for its large amounts of vitamins A, C, K and B6 as well as manganese, calcium, copper, and potassium. Unlike chard or spinach, kale does not contain oxalic acid which prevents the body from absorbing calcium so is of particular value to pregnant and nursing women as well as women concerned about osteoporosis and bone loss. One cup of Kale has only 36 calories and provides 192% of the daily value of vitamin A and 90% of the daily value of vitamin C. How many other vegetables do you suppose can make that claim?

Okay, that’s all great you say but now where do I begin? 

Like I was, you may be unsure how to go about buying kale but it's simple when you know what to look for. Go for the darker colors avoiding bunches with yellow or brown leaves, and choose smaller leaves for tenderness and milder flavor. Lacinato or dinosaur kale is always a good choice as well as the purplish variety known as Red Russian. Kale should be kept cool as it will become bitter when warm, and will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week. It can also be washed and minced, and then frozen for extended preservation and will thaw almost instantly when it’s time to use it. This is a great way to always have some on hand for your morning smoothie or for adding to your favorite soup or stew recipe. I’ve even been adding it to chili lately … it’s terrific and who’d have thought?

Now for the fun part! Preparing kale is EASY.  

Begin by immersing the kale leaves in water, then rinse and pat dry. Next, you want to remove the stem and there are 2 ways to approach this. 

1).The first approach is to lay the kale flat and face down on your cutting board, and using a small kitchen knife, cut from the top of the leaf down on each side of the stem. 

2).The second approach is to fold the leaf in half lengthwise exposing the stem, and then cut from top to bottom separating it from both sides of the leaf at once. 

Once the stem is removed, simply stack several de-stemmed leaves one on top of the other and then roll up the entire stack. Using your small kitchen knife, slice down the roll from one end to the other, which will make something similar to little pinwheels of kale. Slice through the pinwheels again the other direction and that’s it!

There’s another little secret I want to share with you. 

MASSAGE YOUR KALE. 

Yeah, you heard me, and here’s what you do. Place one full bunch of cut kale into a large bowl and massage about a ½ teaspoon of sea salt into it for a full 2 minutes. This breaks down the tissues of the kale softening it and it making it easier to digest. The kale will darken and reduce quite a bit in volume. The end result is the basis for a yummy kale salad – simply toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of a lemon and let your imagination lead you. The combinations for completing this salad are endless. Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sun dried tomatoes, cranberries, feta cheese just to name a few!

Kale is a nutrition packed powerhouse of a vegetable that is simply too good to pass up. In addition to making a great salad it can be steamed, boiled, braised or sauteed. It doesn’t need to cook for long, just until wilted and tender so 5 to 10 minutes is usually enough. Add it to soups and stews and last but not least, don’t forget to throw a handful in the blender with your morning smoothie – it tastes great and is a wonderful way to increase your daily greens!

We’d love to hear from you! Share your ideas for a great salad or other creative ways to prepare kale and we’ll send you your very own “eat more kale" sticker shown in the picture above.

For more fun information go to:

   Kale culture:  Kale T-shirts and bumper stickers EatMoreKale.com    

   Growing Kale:  GrowingTaste.com/Kale

Next Week we will be on the road again and attending the 2nd Annual Lake TahoeRestaurant Week.- be sure to check out Deb’s review of this local foodie event taking place October 2^nd - October 9^th.

Until next week …

Love and Blessings,

Dawn