Kale, or curly green cabbage or borécole in good French, is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere... For two years, not a month has gone by without me finding myself reading an article about kale in the health magazine of the moment (or recipes with kale). Of course, I read 5 to 8 per month, between our Vitalité Québec, Au naturel, Mieux-Être, Le Must, Jmagazine... and those of our neighbors to the South: Alive, Health, Clean Eating, VegaNews, etc. On the internet, you can also find tons of mentions, more detailed articles and recipes.
So I'll give you a short summary of the main benefits and, above all, I'll share my cooking ideas with you!
Kale is part of the cruciferous family, the very ones that are credited with great anti-cancer properties (see my previous article on cabbage), but it is the star, the most powerful of all and the GREENEST !
So we were saying about the cabbage family that they contain vitamins A, K and C, minerals and antioxidants.
Kale is the leafy green vegetable with the highest amount of vitamin K, which is good for blood circulation, fighting blood clots and varicose veins! Kale also contains vitamin E, which is excellent for tissue and skin health. It also contains a large amount of carotenoids (especially lutein and zeaxanthin) to improve or maintain eye health.
This green vegetable, which never ceases to amaze with its many virtues, also contains, of course, fiber and chlorophyll in addition to calcium and the famous glucosinolates, a powerful anti-cancer... provided you chew it well!
But enough blah blah about the science of health and nutrition. The important thing to remember about kale is that IT TASTES GOOD !!!!
Kale's second great strength: it goes with everything ! It can be added to soups in strips just before serving, to grain dishes or salads (from quinoa to rice to barley to freekeh, etc.), and to vegetable salads. It can be substituted for spinach, Swiss chard, etc.
My dish
As I explained in the article on cabbage, I love kale simply heated over very low heat in olive oil with the addition of hemp and a little salt when serving.
To make this kale, I use a large frying pan or wok, good olive oil, very low heat, I remove the stems, I wash the kale but I don't wring it out so it stays moist, I tear it into pieces and put it in the frying pan, I stir frequently...I enjoy!
Cooked kale can be added to any salad, whether vegetable or grain. It works well with creamy tahini or nut-based sauces, as well as light ones. Be careful, lemon or vinegar will turn the kale dark green/brown, so you should eat the prepared amount...it won't look very pretty the next day!
It is wonderful with warm spices like cumin, turmeric, curry…
At Crudessence, we massage raw, washed kale with oil, cumin, and lemon juice to soften it… DELICIOUS!
Some people prefer it as chips; in fact, VEGANEWS MAGAZINE recently announced NATIONAL KALE DAY . And offers 3 recipes for tasty chips ...you can make them in the oven or in a dehydrator.
Good health!
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