Kale: No Longer the 'Jan Brady' of the Cabbage Family

Image courtesy of greenlitebites.com

My brother's name is Cale, dangerously close to the spelling of our vegetable of the day. As a child, this made me giggle. My brother was named after a vegetable. WHAT in the world were my parents thinking? He would clearly be scarred when the little kids at school put two and two together.

If only the little kids had known how cool kale really is!

Kale has been cultivated for over 2,000 years. It was a staple of the Greek and Roman diets. Just recently, it came into the spotlight because of its 'superfood' status. It's also relatively inexpensive and easy to work into your meals.

Here's why you should jump on the 'kale train' ASAP. Kale is...

• A great source of vitamin C (which boosts your immune system), vitamin K (for bone health) and vitamin A (for healthy mucus membranes, skin and eyes).
• High in fiber.
• Full of health promoting phytochemicals that protect against prostate and colon cancers.
• Rich in iron (which helps protect you from anemia).
• Rich in carotenoids (strong antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties).
• Extremely low in calories and contains no fat.

I'm a huge fan of kale chips. Here's what you do...

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly wash the kale and pat dry.

Tear the each leaf in half, discarding the stem. Then tear each half into 'chip size' pieces.

Drizzle the pieces with a light coat of olive oil...

...Then toss to coat evenly.

Place your chips on a non-stick baking pan, making sure they are evenly spaced (this is key!).

Now, bake the chips for 20 minutes total, flipping the chips halfway through so that both sides bake evenly. Allow to cool and enjoy! Oh...and eat as many as you want! They're good for you!

Here are some other great recipes to get you started...

PASTA WITH BLACK KALE, CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND PARSNIPS:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pasta-with-black-kale-caramelized-onions-parsnips-10000002012801/

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

KALE WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND OLIVES:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/kale-roasted-peppers-olives-10000000524082/index.html

Image courtesy of realsimple.com

KALE, APPLE AND PANCETTA SALAD:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/serious-salads-kale-apple-and-pancetta-salad.html

Image courtesy of seriouseats.com