I’m introducing a superfood this week because it seems as though people get stuck in a cycle of eating the same few fruits and vegetables over and over again. My goal is to introduce or remind you about other fruits and vegetables that will complement your diet and boost your health! Eating a wide assortment of different plant foods is beneficial to your health because of the greater variety of nutrients you will be getting. Each color represents a host of healthy nutrients that your body needs to thrive. Red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow peppers, green parsley, blue blueberries, purple beets, white cauliflower, pink grapefruit……you see where I am going with this. And the more plant foods you eat throughout the day, the less cravings you’ll have for the processed packaged foods that you ideally want to remove from your diet.
This week I am highlighting kale. Yes, it has seen the spotlight recently and can now even be found on many restaurant menus. But are you preparing kale at home? It is a superfood full of vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, vitamins A, C and K, magnesium and fiber. Kale is full of antioxidants that can help protect you from various diseases and is a vegetable that you should try to incorporate into your weekly rotation.
I prepare a kale salad that is easy to make and includes other standout ingredients for your health such as ginger, avocado, lemon juice, sunflower seeds…in fact, every ingredient in this salad has superfood qualities. I may change the name to the Kale Superfood Salad! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Kale Salad
- 1 bunch of kale
- 3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup of red onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
- 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
- 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Remove hard ribs from the kale and then chop the leaves. Place in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss with your hands, massaging the kale as you go and mixing in the avocado to make a dressing. Massaging the kale helps break down the leaves and makes it more tender when eaten raw. This salad also holds up well in the refrigerator thanks to kale’s hearty leaves.
EATssential 