All Hail Kale

If you haven’t already, let’s all bravely select this curly, dark green, leafy veggie at the market and give it a go! There are so many ways to prepare this plant that you’ll not run out of ideas. Plus, if you have fussy eaters, you can hide this nutrient-rich plant into smoothies or sauces. They won’t even notice! However if you’re just jumping on the Kale-bandwagon please take it slow to avoid upsets to your digestive system.

Quick Serving Ideas: It’s genuinely delicious! Sauté with a little olive oil until wilted, then add a pinch of sea salt, almond slivers and dried cranberries, and sauté for a few more minutes. Serve with brown rice and voila! The perfect low-calorie, high-nutrition lunch!
~Braise chopped kale and apples for a few minutes in broth or water. Just before serving, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and chopped walnuts. Delish!
~Combine chopped fresh kale, toasted pine nuts, and crumbled feta cheese with (hot, just drained) whole grain pasta drizzled with olive oil. Healthy and amazing!

Kid Favorite Recipe: Kale “Chips”
2 Important Tips: Remove the stems and tear leaves into large pieces and spread them out into a thinner layer on each baking sheet.

Ingredients:

per baking sheet:

• approx. 1/2 bunch kale leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Remove leaves from the stems of the kale and roughly tear it up into large pieces. Compost the stems (or freeze for smoothies). Wash and spin the leaves until thoroughly dry.
3. Add kale leaves into a large bowl. Massage in the oil until all the nooks and crannies are coated in oil. Now sprinkle on the spices/seasonings and toss to combine.
4. Spread out the kale onto the prepared baking sheet into a single layer, being sure not to overcrowd the kale.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more until the kale begins to firm up. The kale will look shrunken, but this is normal. I bake for 25 mins. total in my oven.
6. Cool the kale on the sheet for 3 minutes before digging in! This really makes all the difference! Enjoy immediately as they lose their crispiness with time.
7. Repeat this process for the other half of the bunch.

(PRINT THIS RECIPE FROM OhSheGlows.com )

Healthline provides this breakdown of kale’s nutrients:

A single cup of raw kale (about 67 grams or 2.4 ounces) contains (1):

• Vitamin A: 206% of the DV (from beta-carotene)
• Vitamin K: 684% of the DV
• Vitamin C: 134% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 9% of the DV
• Manganese: 26% of the DV
• Calcium: 9% of the DV
• Copper: 10% of the DV
• Potassium: 9% of the DV
• Magnesium: 6% of the DV
• It also contains 3% or more of the DV for vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), iron and phosphorus

This is coming with a total of 33 calories, 6 grams of carbs (2 of which are fiber) and 3 grams of protein.

Kale contains very little fat, but a large portion of the fat in it is an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic-acid.

Given its incredibly low calorie content, kale is among the most nutrient-dense foods in existence. Eating more kale is a great way to dramatically increase the total nutrient content of your diet.