It used to be used only for its looks – that leafy, pretty, greenery that lined platters for entertaining. But now, Kale is making it into the mainstream of our daily diets and taking its place as the new superfood with health benefits that include fighting cancer and bone health.
One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and a whopping 1,020% of vitamin K.
Kale might be a powerhouse of nutrients but is also contains oxalates, naturally occurring substances that can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Avoid taking your calcium supplement at the same time you eat kale.
Our readers have sent many healthy recipes our way, but these two from health guru and yoga instructor Julie August seemed especially yummy. Try these as a way to incorporate this healthy food into your diet.
Kale Quinoa Salad
1 large bunch of kale, washed, center stem removed, and torn into bite size pieces
¼ to ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds toasted *
1 to 2 cup of cooked quinoa *
Dressing
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup nama shoyu or soy sauce
½ clove of garlic or the equivalent of garlic powder
5 tablespoons of maple syrup
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Mix the dressing ingredients together, and toss with the kale, quinoa, and almonds.
*the quantity of quinoa and almonds is varied depending on the size of the kale bunch. If you are using this dish as a vegetable side dish or salad, use less. Use more as a complete vegetarian meal.
Sesame Kale Chips
1 large bunch of kale, washed, center stem removed, and torn into bite size pieces
2 -3 tablespoons olive oil or olive oil spray
nutritional yeast*
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
sea salt to taste
Spread the kale single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the kale, and toss until coated. If you toss on just washed kale, the water residue on the kale leaves will dilute the olive oil, and you can use less oil. Sprinkle the yeast, sesame seeds and sea salt over the prepared kale.
Place in a cool oven, and then turn the oven to 350. The chips should be dry and crispy in 10-20 minutes, depending on the speed of your oven pre-heat.
*nutritional yeast tastes a lot like parmesan cheese. It is high in B vitamins and essential amino acids and protein, yet is low in fat. You can buy it at your local health food store.
If you have a healthy recipe you love, please do share! You can send along your recipes to us in the comments area below and we’ll consider them for a future post on The Professional Hypochondriac.
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