Kale-ing Me Softly

Growing up in the windswept prairie-town of Cheyenne, Wyoming, I decided at some point that green was my favorite color. It just looked so nice against the dirt brown, sagebrush-sculpted landscape. An early hero was Robin Hood and the forest- hued attire of he and his band of Merry Men, with the exception of Friar Tuck, seemed about right to represent my favorite color -- I'll save my comments on Little John in tights for another post.

Along with the color, I developed a fondness for many green foods as well. Favorite vegetable? Green Beans. Favorite fruit? Green Apples. Favorite food to give me imaginary super powers? Popeye's Spinach, of course. Favorite Candy? Green lifesavers.

I loved running barefoot in green grass, catching green grasshoppers, and counting stacks of green toy currency. I still like getting green paper presents, the kind that can be folded and are best stored in a wallet. Any denomination will do.

Dad loved to garden and Mom kept the house well-furnished with green ferns, philodendrons, and spider plants. We had a pair of homemade end tables that Dad stained in a green woodgrain pattern. I painted toy soldiers in green camoflauge and we even had green shag carpet in my bedroom. Hey, it was the 70's.

There were three green foods that I had the misfortune to despise. The first was green peas. The second, broccoli. The third, kale.

Now I could get the peas down as long as they were smothered in five or six tablespoons of ketchup, swallowing them whole before they melted and filled my mouth with a texture that I imagined to be like the inside of an earthworm. And cheese sauce worked to tame the fibrous bite of broccoli. But Kale, no matter what was put on it or how it was prepared, tasted as if the most noxious weeds in the alley behind our house had been uprooted after rotting to black slime beneath the carcus of a dead skunk. The smell reminded me of the insecticides that Dad put in his tank sprayer to douse the foundation of the house when the ant infestations got out of control. A friend of mine called it "the same as urinating on thistle and then being forced to chew on the leaves for a week."

In all seriousness, if my entire experience of green in those tender years had been shaped by kale, I'd have a different favorite color. What color? Any color but green.

 As you might have guessed, I no longer harbor feelings of disgust for kale. In fact, I'd say it's my all-time favorite green, well, I do still like those wallet stuffers.

Not only is the color rich, but in terms of micro-nutrient wealth per pound, this leafy marvel sits atop my personal health food chain. And thousands of double-blind studies, along with myriad nutrition experts, medical practitioners, and real people with lots of life experience eating the stuff agree -- for a healing journey and maintenance of health after, eating abundant amounts of kale often, is a prescription for cancer-prevention, healthier blood, reduction of inflammation, and as a guidepost to know if you're brushing well after you eat. You really can see those green bits between your teeth if you don't do a thorough job of dental hygiene.

Here's one delicious way to make a meal of kale. 

SALAD:

One bunch langostino kale, stems removed and chopped into bite-sized bits.

1/2 a red or yellow onion, slice thin and cut the rings in half.

One carrot, peeled and grated.

One ripe roma tomato, chopped.

1/2 cup cooked quinoa.

1/4 cup dried cranberries or blueberries, or fresh works too!

2 TBSP raw pumpkin seeds.

DRESSING

1/2 of a ripe avocado, cubed.

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

dash of sea salt or 1 tsp Trader Joe's 21 Spice Mixture

Blend dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour on kale and toss or massage for one minute. Toss in all other ingredients except quinoa. Serve and top with quinoa. Garnish with a sliced radish if you like.

Enjoy!