Raw Kale Salad

image from http://www.skrewtips.com

I love kale in vegetable soup or simply sauteed - but I think my very favorite way (and the healthiest by far) is raw kale salad. "What?" you say? Really! It is delicious and zings you up!

So, here is how you make it. Wash the kale, use a knife to cut out the center rib, sorta roll up the kale leaves and cut into small strips. For the dressing, just smash up some garlic (this depends on your taste - I add alot, especially in this season of sickness), add 1 part lemon juice and 3 parts olive oil. Mix it up and let it set just a bit. That is it! It stays good overnight, so you can even make it for the following day's lunch.  You will enjoy the flavor and getting a great dose of green!

Amy

Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch of Kale de-veined and chopped in thin strips
good olive oil
juice of 1/2 -1 lemon (depending on preference)
smashed and chopped garlic
salt

drizzle olive oil on kale until lightly coated. sprinkle on lemon juice to taste. same with garlic and salt.

you can also omit the garlic and add in a handful of dried cranberries and pine nuts.

Nutrional Value (from Wikipedia)

Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.^[1]

Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Because of its high vitamin K content, patients taking anti-coagulants such as warfarin are encouraged to avoid this food since it increases the vitamin K concentration in the blood which is what the drugs are often attempting to lower. This effectively raises the effective dose of the drug.

Kale, as with Broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties, particularly when chopped.^[2]

grated carrots

This is a staple in French delis for a healthy snack/salad/lunch. It keeps for a few days and is a great way to get loads of carrots into your diet. Here is our version - but it really lends itself to customization.

3 thickly grated carrots (we use the mandolin for this so they are crunchier)
oj (juice from one orange)
sprinkle of cumin
s/p

a bit of smashed and chopped garlic and a glug of olive or walnut oil are great additions.

Tabouli

from Moosewood Cookbook

1 cup dry bulgar wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 t salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 c olve oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
black pepper
4 scallions chopped (white and green) - or use some sweet onion
1 packed cup finely chopped parsely
10-15 fresh mint leaves (if you have it)
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or a few handfuls of grape tomatoes)

think about throwing in some seeded chopped cucumber, red or green bell pepper, or chickpeas

combine the bulgar and boiling water, cover, let set 30 minutes until tender

mix in the salt, lemon, olive oil, garlic, pepper - cover and refrigerate until cool - then add the rest of the ingredients. Eat cold for lunch. Enjoy!