Kale Salad

Oh kale! How far you've come from a mere garnish nestled between a lemon wedge and served to unsuspecting diners at popular seafood restaurants. Little did we realize back then that kale was a superfood and one of the highest scoring on the ANDI scale (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index). The ANDI scale was created by Dr. Fuhrman and adopted by Whole Foods Market as a way to find out which foods pack the most nutritional punch.

While in college I worked at Joe's Crab Shack where I slaved away for four years serving fried shrimp platters with extra tarter sauce to grumbling diners and before bringing seafood dishes to the table we grabbed a small piece of kale and placed a lemon wedge on the plate before bringing it to the table. I remember clearly the day I asked my boss what kale was (I had never heard of it before working there). He told me that it was "polar bear food" and that it wasn't edible which is why we just used it as a garnish.  We've come a long way in the healthy food revolution since then and now kale has a made a huge comeback and is no longer used to simply decorate a plate.

You may be curious to know exactly what eating kale can do for you and the answer isn't a short one. It's extremely high in Vitamins A, C, and K and in addition to that it can reduce your cholesterol by binding to your digestive tract where it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, thus lowering your cholesterol. These cholesterol lowering benefits only increase when kale is steamed for about 5 minutes although raw kale still retains some of these benefits.

If lowering your cholesterol isn't a worry for you then consider that kale also has cancer fighting antioxidants and is also a favorite food for anyone doing a "detox" or "cleanse." Also keep in mind that kale has practically zero calories, so munch away! There's a lot more to learn about kale but I'm ready to eat it.

This kale salad is easily assembled and crazy delicious. There are a million different ways you can make this salad your own, try adding pine nuts, slivered almonds, dried berries and your own favorite blend of spices. The key to making this salad enjoyable to eat is to chop the kale in small bits. If eating kale raw doesn't seem appealing to you, simply steam it for 5 minutes which will soften the leaves. I don't know how kale made such a comeback but it's certainly not just for polar bears anymore..

 

Kale Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale, stems and tough ribs removed, finely chopped

In a large bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add kale and toss to coat.