Kale 101 by Dani Spies

Confused about kale? Sure…you’ve heard lots about it being an amazing green leafy vegetable that is nutritious but you have no idea what to do with it? That’s how I felt a few years ago when I was first introduced to kale chips at a beach weekend.

Today’s post is not a recipe, but rather some basic information about this great healthy vegetable. Dani Spies shares the basics of kale in an easy-to-understand format.

Kale has vitamins A and C, along with beta carotene and calcium. The chlorophyll in kale captures toxins and pollutants and filters them out, which is great for our respiratory system

Curly kale is widely available at grocery stores. Here are some tips she shares:

Look for firm leaves, dark green color, with no brown or yellow spots.

Store your kale in a plastic bag, removing as much air as possible. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week in the veggie drawer.

While the stem is edible, it is a bit tough. You can easily separate the leaves from the stem by holding the stem firmly and pulling the leaves up and away.

You can either discard the kale stems or cut them into very small pieces and allow more cooking time than the leaves.

Roll the leaves together and cut into slices. Rinse in a colander.

Here are just a few options for using kale.

• Steam it and add some lemon juice for flavoring.
• Sauté with garlic and olive oil.
• Add to soup or stew recipes
• Roast it to make kale chips. Click here to see the recipe.
• Eat it raw in a salad or add it to your smoothies.

Here is the nutritional information. You can’t beat this for low calorie and high health value!

1 cup of raw Kale: Calories: 33; Total Fat: 0.5g; Saturated Fat: 0.1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 29mg; Carbohydrate: 6.7g; Dietary Fiber: 1.3; Protein: 2.2g