You know how everyone always talks smack about kale? Saying things like “It’s so tough!”, “That’s horse food!”, “Bleh!” and whatnot. The truth is, kale CAN BE amazing. To start, it is one of the MOST NUTRIENT RICH vegetables out there! Secondly, if you can get it fresh and organic and cook it just right, it will melt in your mouth! (Badly cooked kale might have you chewing 50 times before it becomes swallow-able…yes, I have done that before!).
Rich in calcium, bioflavonoids, and iron. It is anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and helps us detox and ELIMINATE (it’s fiber-rich, too!). Ok, here’s my recipe…now it’s time to give it a shot!
The BEST Kale you have ever tasted!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
1 bunch organic kale, washed, de-stemmed
2 cloves organic, raw garlic
1 Tbsp cold-pressed organic olive oil
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast *omit if tendency toward yeast/candida
1/4 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp cayenne *optional
I swear I ate this every single day while I was in undergraduate school at Naropa University. It kept me feeling satisfied, strong in my immune system as well as in my digestion.
Here’s the Rundown:
Chop raw kale into salad-size pieces, whatever you are comfortable with eating. And here you could either:
1) Steam kale in a steamer basket until it is BRIGHT green (usually only a couple of minutes max when atop boiling water! Once it is brown, it has already lost some really good nutrients),
Or . . .
2) Keep it raw, squeeze your lemon juice onto the leaves and massage the kale with your hands until it is super soft. Option 2 is more nutrient dense however if you have a cold digestion (i.e. cold hands and feet!) or ANY difficulty digesting raw foods, go for the steamed option.
Meanwhile chop or press garlic. Toss kale with all the rest of the ingredients! Viola! Delicious! Enjoy!
Psst…If you are a vegetarian, here’s your chance to add some extra nutritional yeast to make up for those missing B vitamins!
For more nutrient-rich recipes, check out my book – Everyday Chinese Medicine: Healing Remedies for Immunity, Vitality, and Optimal Health – where you’ll have access to seasonal recipes to keep your system happy and healthy all year long!