Kale

Source: wisefood.com


A few years ago, the aliens kidnapped my husband and replaced him with a perfect replica--except for one thing: he now loves to cook, cooks really well and has an insatiable appetite (lol) for finding new and interesting dishes. Don't worry, I haven't lost my mind. THIS IS A JOKE. The fact remains: though I do most of the weekday cooking, my husband is the one who finds yummy and interesting food to regale us with on the weekends. And the year that he was on sabbatical, I don't think I cooked once. In fact, at one point, my husband was writing a cooking blog. Unfortunately, his job (gotta make a living, after all) and two other blogs keep him terribly busy, so he hasn't added anything in a few years. Shame.

So why this lengthy introduction and what the heck does it have to do with kale? Well, for various reasons, I have started branching out, food-wise. I'm a pretty decent cook, but most of the time I'm too pressed for time to explore new (or re-discovered) foods. Since I've had a bit of extra time on my hands recently (this is the worst January from a work point of view that I've had in a long time), I figured it might be fun and healthy to start incorporating new foods into our culinary repertoire. Enter kale, thanks in great part to Lyn at Escape from Obesity who mentions kale frequently.

Kale is a member of the cabbage family. A hardy plant, it is very nutritious and is even said to have anti-inflammatory properties--something that's important if you have arthritis, like me. It contains beta carotene, vitamins K and C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and is reasonably rich in calcium. I also read that it perhaps has cancer preventing characteristics. Wouldn't that be grand? Alas, if you are taking blood thinners like warfarin, it could be dangerous to eat kale. You should discuss kale consumption (or the consumption of any other food that is high in vitamin K) with your doctor if you do take this type of medication.

Kale is quite the international food. It is popular in the Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal, many African countries, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, just to name a few places where kale is a prized food. The World's Healthiest Foods website has an in-depth article on kale. Who knew there was so much to learn?

So those are all the "right" reasons to eat kale. However, there is one more: it tastes great!

There are many kale recipes on the Internet. I tried this one last night and it was a huge hit. OK, it has carbs and feta cheese. "Yikes", many of you might say. Well, I thought it was yummy and quite healthy. But that's just me talking.

Bottom line: try kale. It's a revelation.