Dad is exploring healthier eating and during our most recent phone conversation he seemed to be getting bored with his diet so I asked if he's eating any dark leafy greens. "I have kale in the fridge" was his answer, "great, it needs to go in your body" was mine :o) Lol, love you dad! I told him how great dark leafy greens are for you and they will give you an extra little pep in your step when eaten regularly. I also asked if he's tried raw green salads, these are the most bang for your buck. I didn't care for the texture of them unil I learned how to chiffonade and prepare this type of salad now I LOVE them. Hope you all will too.
KALE SALAD WITH AVOCADO & APPLE
Ingredients:
*1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and chiffonade (see re-post of how-to below). If I don’t have a full bunch of kale I do half kale and half collards, spinach works too
*1 ripe avocado, diced
*sea salt and freshly ground pepper
*3 tablespoons olive oil
*lemon, lime or your favorite vinegar (balsamic and apple cider- raw are my fav.)
*1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and chiffonade (see re-post of how-to below). If I don’t have a full bunch of kale I do half kale and half collards, spinach works too
*1 ripe avocado, diced
*sea salt and freshly ground pepper
*3 tablespoons olive oil
*lemon, lime or your favorite vinegar (balsamic and apple cider- raw are my fav.)
*1 carrot, well cleaned & sliced into thin half moons, grated or try julienned (I make these a lot so you’ve got to mix it up or you’ll get bored)
*1 small, green apple (Granny Smith), sliced thin, or whatever crunchy fruit/ veggie you have sometimes I use asian pear (SO good) sometimes celery, you decide
* optional 1 handful of dulse flakes- and not cheap but worth it. Salty and savory flavor and packed with trace minerals and essential B vitamins (that most fruits & veggies no longer contain)
* optional 1 handful fresh herbs like mint, basil, cilantro (substitute lime for lemon or vinegar) or your favorite, minced
*1 small, green apple (Granny Smith), sliced thin, or whatever crunchy fruit/ veggie you have sometimes I use asian pear (SO good) sometimes celery, you decide
* optional 1 handful of dulse flakes- and not cheap but worth it. Salty and savory flavor and packed with trace minerals and essential B vitamins (that most fruits & veggies no longer contain)
* optional 1 handful fresh herbs like mint, basil, cilantro (substitute lime for lemon or vinegar) or your favorite, minced
VARRIATION:
1. "Must go" (this is my mom's phrase for all the veggies you need to eat up. I make this version the most often).
2. Almond/ Chicken:
2. Almond/ Chicken:
· 1 Chicken breast diced
· 1 large handful of raw or toasted almonds, walnuts or pine nuts (healthiest option is to buy nuts raw, soak them and toast them yourself. Reason: nuts with “skin” have enzyme inhibitors which actually slow your digestion, when you soak them they break down and your body is better able to absorb most the nutrients.
Preparation:
1. Place kale in a large bowl with the avocado. Add salt, garlic, lemon, lime OR vinegar and olive oil. Mix very well, “massaging” the greens for about 3 minutes or until “soft”.
2. Reserve a small handful of the carrot and apple slices for garnish- if you’d like, then gently fold the rest into the kale mixture reserving the dulse for last. It is very salty and it is best to taste 1st and adjust to your liking.
How- To Chiffonade
De-stem greens, here's a You Tube link...
Note: this is Dino (or Lacinto) kale, easier to start practicing with because the leaves are not curly. The other images show collards, basil.
Stack on top of each other and roll up like sushi
Begin thinly slicing the kale all the way until all is sliced (as thin as you can get it) I go down the middle horizontally to get even smaller pieces, you decide which you like best.
