Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The season for kale


My favorite green vegetable these days has to be kale. I know when I eat or put it in one of my "green" smoothies I am getting a boatload of vitamins and minerals. Kale usually tops the list of healthiest, most nutritious vegetables. It is high in Vitamins A, C and K and provides calcium and folate.

A recent list of top 10 greens on Web MD lists greens in this order: kale, collards, turnip greens, Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, red and green lettuce, cabbage and iceberg lettuce (which is America's most popular green, even if it is little more than water).

My favorite way to eat kale--green smoothies. I put an apple, orange, sometimes a banana, carrots, a handful of kale, frozen berries, ice and water in a heavy duty blender and blend until it is smooth.

I feel like I am downing vitamins but I also am getting tons of fiber with my vitamins.

Kale is good in a sandwich, too. It takes the place of lettuce and though the taste is stronger and the texture a little heavier, I love it that way.

It is good in salads. If you go to a salad bar like Whole Foods, they generally have chopped kale as one of the options. It is very tasty with garbanzo beans, blueberries, feta and dried cranberries--all tossed with a light raspberry vinaigrette.

Sauteing is also one of my favorite ways to prepare kale. Just chop and toss kale in a hot stir fry pan, or iron skillet, with a tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper it and you are done. I really like it as a side with pork loin roast and sweet potatoes. It's the perfect fall meal.

I now have two gallons of freshly washed kale in my fridge picked from my garden. I am ready for some healthy eating.

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