NEW KALE SALAD RECIPE!

This was sooo good!  I made up a YUMMY kale salad for me and Cliff for lunch yesterday and it had less fat than I usually put in, so i wrote down what i did and wanted to share it with you!  It was delicious! And most importantly, Cliff LOVED this!!  You are going to have to get messy for this one and enjoy playing with your food!!!

KALE SALAD decorated with cherry tomato halves...Mmm!

LOWER FAT "FIESTA KALE SALAD"

You need: a large bowl, a vitamix, a knife.

~~~  This recipe feeds two ~~~ 

STEP 1: PREP YOUR KALE

Tear kale leaves off 1 medium-large head kale, discarding center stalk.  (TIP: Save stalks and use in your raw bread).

Rip kale leaves into small pieces and place in large bowl.

Massage for a minute to crush and crunch up. 

STEP 2: MAKE DRESSING
In Vitamix, blenderize: 
1/4 cup mild onion

2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup or less olive oil

1/3 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1 - 2 Tbsp raw vinegar

1 Tbsp agave



STEP 3: MASSAGE AGAIN - Massage dressing onto kale, crushing and crunching.  This tenderizes kale.  The more you massage, the better and better it gets!



STEP 4: ADD VEGGIES and SEASONING To Kale: 
1/3 cucumber cut into 4 spears and sliced very thinly

1/3 cup red pepper cut into very thin short strips

1/2 carrot shredded

1/2 avocado cut into chunks

1.5 stalks celery cut into small thin slices

1 handful of raw pumpkin seeds (soaked and dried if you have)  

1/4 cup of sliced mild onion

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

Remember to tear up your kale leaves into small peices!

STEP 5: MASSAGE AGAIN & SEASON
Massage veggies, yeast and avocado into the dressed salad, gooshing up with your hands thoroughly.  This will make an even creamier dressed chunky kale salad.  Add fine Himalayan salt to taste, if desired, and mix again.  Eat immediately!  Enjoy!  



TIP: LOWER SALT: Leave out salt all together for a low-salt salad!  (I added NO salt to my portion, but some to Cliff's.  I find the minimal sodium found in Nutritional Yeast (5 mg per 2 Tbsp) to be just enough to give me just the slightest salty flavor....and it doesn't make my ankles swell!)     

TIP: LOWER FAT: For an even lower fat kale salad -
- Leave out the olive oil
- Or put in only 1 Tbsp
- Or substitute a few chunks of mango instead of the oil into the blenderized dressing.  (Mango is slippery and provides creaminess without adding oil.)
- Substitute more avocado...instead of the oil, for a less 'processed' form of fat!


FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT KALE:

Kale is a leafy green vegetable from the Brassica family, a sulphur containing vegetable like broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts.


Kale is very popular in Europe and the USA. It grows well in hot and cold climates and actually thrives in cold climates and tends to have a sweeter taste.


It is truly a remarkable vegetable that is a superfood, which needs to be incorporated in more people’s diets.

Kale is excellent for those who are trying to lose weight; one cup of kale contains only 36 calories. It is fat free and high in fiber which helps your body to stay full longer and helps to keep your blood sugar lower. It also promotes regular bowel movements and prevents constipation.

Kale fights heart disease by removing plaque from the blood vessels and may also prevent stroke.

Kale contains antioxidants that are known to remove free radicals from the body. These antioxidants are also known to stop existing cancer cells from growing. A diet containing kale is highly beneficial against stomach, ovarian, breast, and colon cancer. Studies have shown that tumors shrank in animals that ate a diet high in sulphur-containing vegetables.

Kale is high in vitamin A, carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthan, which are great for protecting the eyes from UV light and preventing cataracts.

One cup of raw kale contains 134% recommended daily serving of vitamin C!  It is known that vitamin C helps fight infections, oxidizes cholesterol, and is anti-inflammatory which is also beneficial in autoimmune diseases. Vitamin C also repairs and strengthens collagen in the skin, giving a youthful glow.

Kale also has a high dose of calcium, which strengthens bones and teeth.

It also has manganese, which is a trace mineral and a great fat burner because it metabolizes and uses energy from protein and carbs, also great for weight loss. It makes fatty acids, which are important for sex hormones and the nervous system, too!

Kale can be used in many recipes such as green smoothies, raw kale chips, and raw kale salad. And it is easy to grow, so why not include it in your garden?

xoxo michelle joy