Kale is something that was introduced to me a few years ago because a close friend’s family member was struggling with bone cancer (at only age 24). Since my family has a history of osteoporosis and I have developed a food sensitivity to dairy, I listened carefully when told that kale was “good for the bones.”
Honestly, I had been cynical about kale because it seems like such a “hippy food.” (My apologies to all of you wonderful hippies- I’m just a bit of a cynic sometimes!) Then I looked it up: kale is a good source of calcium and vitamin K, folic acid, magnesium and beta carotene. Why wouldn’t want all of that good stuff in my body?
A few of my favourite kale recipes:
Smoothies
I’ve been putting it into a raspberry smoothie for breakfast fairly often over the past year: just one plain leaf of kale, frozen raspberries [or you can use strawberries right now since they’re currently also in season], a bit of orange juice and water. Make sure you brush your teeth after though- kale sticks in the teeth!
Kale Chips
My roommate also introduced me to the wonderful world of kale chips, which are so surprisingly good. Be forewarned that they are hard to just eat in small portions. Be sure to eat them when they just come out of the oven, because otherwise they can turn a little soggy. I simply just tossed them in olive oil and added garlic salt and some cayenne for some spicy chips, then cooked for 10 minutes at 375, then moved them around a little and cooked them for another 5 minutes.
Looking for more info about kale?
Find out more from student research from the SEEDS UBC Food System Project.
Thanks also to the folks at Get Local, for providing information on what’s currently available in Metro Vancouver: http://getlocalbc-org.ffcfprojects.ca/en/
Every month, the Healthy UBC Blog highlights a locally available food, and gives you a recipe or two to try out. This month, read all about mandarin oranges, rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, fibre and folate.
