Kale: The Queen of Greens
Kale is Queen. So Hail to Kale! Kale’s last name is Brassica and her relatives include cabbage, collards, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Here are some of the benefits of Kale:
1) She offers you 5 grams of fiber (You need 25 grams per day as I mention in Breaking the Chains of Obesity, 107 Tools)
2) Gives you 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
3) Gives you 40% of magnesium for your day
4) Gives you 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K.
5) Kale is a great source ofcopper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Awesome, right? So, how do you slip this very rough lettuce like cruciferous leaf into your mouth without making a face? Either juice it, bake it, soup it , steam it, or eat it raw! Here are some great recipes to follow:
1) Kale, white bean and chicken soup (search this on my website)
2) Raw Kale, baked salmon, grapefruit and toasted hazelnut salad:
Ingredients:
- 5 oz of Wild Salmon
- Pink Grapefruit
- 1/4 cup of tiny onions minced
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup of Greek Plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 4 oz of baby kale leaves
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 1/2 oz of toasted hazelnuts chopped
Directions
Bake or broil the salmon using fish spices or simple lemon and pepper (capers are an option)
In the meanwhile, peel the grapefruit and squeeze some of the juice into a large bowl. Mince the onions into that same bowl. Add the oil, salt, pepper, yogurt into the bowl and whisk together to make the dressing. Once done, wait until you finish cooking the salmon and then put the dressing on the kale, and the salmon on the side.
3) Baked Kale Chips:
Make kale chips by slicing kale into bite-size pieces, toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees in the oven.
4) Kale Frittata
Ingredients:
3 Large Eggs
2 Egg Whites
Dash of kosher salt and some pepper
Dash of Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of oregano
Cooking spray
1 cup of braised kale
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the first 6 ingredients through oregano. Lightly coat an 8 inch oven proof skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium. Add the kale and tomatoes. Cook, stirring until hot (for about 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs and swirl to distribute. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Cut into squares.
5) Juice your Kale to make my favorite: The Green Machine
- Kale
- 2 Persian Cucumbers
- 5 Baby Carrots
- Granny Apple
- 1 oz Ginger
- 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
- Water
Blend it and you will be a machine!
6) Raw Kale Salad from Whole Foods (Watch the video below)
Ingredients:
- Kale
- Pine nuts
- Dried cranberries
- Sliced tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- salt and pepper
