Eat Kale- Super Vegetable For Optimal Health!
The beautiful leaves of the kale plant provide more nutritional value for fewer calories than almost any other food around.
Kale puts a good serving of nutrition on the dinner plate. A half cup serving contains only 22 calories, but provides a day’s supply of vitamins A and C, and about as much calcium as a half-cup of milk.
There are also some B vitamins and iron in that mound of greens. Kale is an excellent source of fiber as well.
The health benefits of kale are also attributed to sulfur-containing phytonutrients. These substances, according to research, appear to be able to reduce the occurrence of numerous types of cancers. And,
There are so many great ways to eat kale, from raw to cooked, in tasty soups or in salads. My favorite way to cook kale is to saute it in a little olive oil with mushrooms and shallots and serve it over pasta.
For those of us who appreciate good beer and fresh vegetables, here is a recipe for sauteed kale.
The kale is sauteed in beer. It comes from the cookbook: Drink Your Beer And Eat It Too by Joanie Steckart. Her recipe is fast and easy to make.
Sauteed Kale
- 2 pounds fresh kale
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups sliced onions
- 3/4 cup diced red or green pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup diced baked ham
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 cup beer (your choice of brew)
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
Cut off and discard kale stems. Trim off tough center rib that runs up the leaf and discard. Rinse leaves well and cut into 1-inch pieces.
In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter or margarine; add onions, pepper, and garlic. Saute until onions are tender. Add kale, ham, and Tabasco sauce; saute until well coated.
Add beer; cover and reduce heat. Simmer until kale is tender, 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and serve. Serves 6.
This recipe for sauteed kale is a great recipe for introducing guests skeptical of healthy food. The marvelous mix of flavors of the ham, onion, pepper, and beer mute the kale’s tones of earthy bitterness.
Here’s another recipe of Smoky Kale Soup (one of my favorites):
* 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1 cup diced red onion
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 8 cups curly green or red kale, stemmed and chopped
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 pound yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and cut in 3/4″ cubes
* 1 (14.5 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes
* 1 tsp. Spanish paprika
* Salt and ground black pepper
In small Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, 3 minutes.
Add half the kale and stir to coat with oil. Cook until kale has collapsed, 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining kale and cook until collapsed, 2 minutes.
Add broth. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potatoes, tomatoes and paprika. Cover and simmer until potatoes and kale are tender, about 20 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Eat, enjoy and be healthy.
Want to know more about kale?
Then, post your question below.
Yours truly for great health, mind and body,
Michelle, natural health advocate
November 05 2009 03:46 am | Healthy Eating
April 7th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Awesome post<A href="http://www.justsimple.com.au" SEO Melbourne Seo Melbourne
April 8th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Interesting, never thought of it like that<A href="http://www.squirttechnique.com" Make Women Squirt Make Women Squirt