Massaged Kale Salad!

curly kale growing in my garden

Greens are nutritionally high in calcium, magnesium, folic acid, iron, potassium, vitamins A, C, E & K, and packed with fiber, chlorophyll, and other micro nutrients.

Kale one of my favorites and is like the "mother-load" of healthy greens as far as I am concerned. If you don't already know this about me then you should.... I LOVE eating food that is good for me, but it has to taste good too, so when I create or find a recipe to adapt, it has to be palatable.

Here is a great raw kale salad recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

A few easy tips to make raw kale more enjoyable;

1. Remove stems.
2. Roll leaves together and then cut into small, thin pieces.
3. Massage dressing into kale leaves and let it marinate so flavor has time to really get into the leaves.

Ingredients:
5-6 cups of finely chopped kale (curly or flat leaf)
1 avocado
2-3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
1 sm clove chopped garlic
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 sm green apple sliced thinly
1 handful of raisins
1 handful of sliced almonds or pine nuts
1 large carrot sliced
1 scallion chopped thinly (green only)
1 handful fresh chopped mint

Directions:

1. Place chopped kale in large bowl with avocado, olive oil, lemon, garlic and salt. Massage avocado and other dressing ingredients into the leaves very well. Don't be afraid of getting your hands in there and really mix it all  together for about 3-4 min. The avocado dressing should be like a paste.
2. Chop/ slice all other ingredients while kale is marinating.
3. Add all other ingredients to the dressed kale, mixing well, so everything gets coated.
4. Chill in refrigerator for 15 min and enjoy!

Great things to grow, green thumb not needed!

Do you garden? What do you like to grow? Even if you have never grown anything before there are some super simple things you can grow even if you don't have a yard, AND it really is not too late to get started.

MMM... fresh basil -
this was from my little garden last year!

You don't have to have a yard to plant a garden. Planting in a container on your deck, or even small pots on your window sill is great. 
I have never considered myself a "green thumb" but I learn a little more each year and there are a few things that I have pretty much always been able to successfully grow by just remembering to water, so if I can do it.... anyone can!

Here are my favorite's and great to grow in any garden:




Sun Gold Tomato 

As I mentioned before... these sweet, juicy orange tomatoes arethe perfect addition to salad, homemade salsa, bruscetta, or eaten on their own right off the vine. You can pick up a plant already started at a local nursery and plant somewhere sunny and remember to water. Getting a tomato cage to keep the plant supported helps to keep it off the ground. They even have those handy upside down tomato planting pots that you can hang and the tomato plant grows down.



Lettuce

Here is something that you can buy a seed packet off and sprinkle into your potting soil or garden very easily and pretty quickly have lettuce... mixed greens, romaine, butter leaf... so delish in a summer salad.



Herbs

Basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, and mint are all wonderful things to have on hand to liven up and meal or even drink. They are easy to plant (especially great if you are container gardening) and for the most part easy to care for. Watch out for mint though... once you plant that in the ground... look out every year it will keep coming back and filling in everywhere. I actually have this problem as the original owners of our house planted mint and every year I am pulling gobbs of it out and giving it away. 



Edible Flowers
How fun is it to toss some flowers in your salad, or pretty up your plate with flowers that you can actually eat! Nastiriums are pretty in the garden and great to add to any meal as decoration or for flavor with a bit of a peppery taste.

Go Green - Smoothie

Green Smoothie

Spring is coming and we naturally tend to want to eat more greens. Any easy way to get your daily intake of greens is to make a green smoothie. Nutritious and delicious!
 

1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut water
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 banana (fresh/frozen)
1/3 cup pineapple
1 large handful of baby spinach
1-2 kale leaves
3-4 large organic strawberries(fresh/ frozen)
1/4 avocado
1/2 cup of ice (optional if you didn't have frozen fruit and like it cold)

Blend all together and enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Go GREEN with a simple pizza & salad

Do you ever have an evening that you don't really feel like cooking, but still want a delicious healthy meal? Yes? 
Me too! 
I actually had just that type of evening tonight, and decided it was going to be pizza and salad night - something quick and easy and everyone will eat without complaints.
Pizza you say? Healthy? OK... here is how to make it healthier.... add lots of veggies, specifically GREEN veggies.  Tonight's toppings were what I had on hand ....broccoli, curly kale, and brussels sprouts, and they make a darn good pizza if I do say so myself. This is actually one of my favorite pizzas to make, and it is always a hit.... even with the old pepperoni and cheese lovers like my husband, father and brother. So if you are thinking no way... don't knock it until you try it.

For the crust I used a simple and very easy to make gluten free pizza dough mix from Bob's Red Mill, but you could certainly use a whole wheat crust if you prefer.
In my freezer I had some cubes of parsley/kale/basil pesto that I made this summer... perfect - sauce is green and already made. I added a little shredded mozzarella to stick it all together, but if you want to avoid dairy it could easily be skipped!
After chopping my 3 toppings, and spreading them over my pizza dough - I stuck it all in the oven for 15 min and presto- dinner is served! Easy Peasy!

Now on to the salad.... even easier..... ready for this.... (1) Mound a pile of mixed greens on a plate; (2) Add some clementine slices; (3) Cut open a pomegranate and sprinkle seeds on.  I had some sliced almonds so I added too. If you wanted to spruce it up more you could add some  goat cheese, or maybe some sauteed onions.

So there it is.... dinner was simple, didn't take long, or require much motivation or energy to prepare, and everyone gobbled it up. We even have leftovers for a quick green lunch tomorrow that will take no time to prepare!

Getting good food into your body doesn't have to be complicated, and it can taste good too! Wahooooo!