Yes,  raw kale is very good for you. One cup of raw chopped kale contains 206% of Vitamin A, 134% Vitamin C, and 684% Vitamin K in 33 calories. It is a great source of important minerals and antioxidants that have been associated with lowering cancer risk and promoting healthy skin, eyes, and immune function.

The honest truth is that despite knowing all this, I really have a problem with the rough, prickly texture of the raw leaf.  Let’s face it, it does take some effort to chew through it and if you don’t chew well it makes you gag when you try and swallow it. Best way to put you off for life!

Thanks to Andy Daly, The Sugar Doctor,  I have learnt new techniques to make kale more palatable. It involves “massaging” the kale to make it easier to eat; by massaging the kale you are  mascerating and breaking down the fibres (remotely chewing it in effect!).

Unlike other more delicate leafy greens (like spinach) which tend to wilt and become soggy if handled in this way, kale keeps its soft but chewy texture without becoming mushy and keeps in this state for as long as a week.

My excitement is that this process is a new job for my Thermomix. The reverse blade function at speed 2 does the massaging for me and it does 3 to 4 cups neatly and effortlessly. Kale is well and truly back on the menu in our home now!

Andy’s recipe involves  massaging the kale with a ripe avocado  and finely sliced whites of leek and lemon juice by hand. I cannot tell you how delicious this salad is!  Please do go to Andy’s Facebook page and read the recipe.

I make the salad on its own and add chopped cucumber and tomato to it but if you want to garnish it by wrapping it in cucumber strips and serving it with thinly sliced radish and quartered tomato as Andy does, it makes a lovely meal. For the photo and because I was trying to entice a reluctant eater (i.e. my daughter) to try it, I turned them into maki rolls and actually, they make lovely hors d’oeuvres this way.

RECIPE

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, leaves stripped from the stem into bite sized pieces

1 ripe avocado

juice of 1 lemon

35g leeks (white part) Finely sliced

5g nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp ground cumin

Salt to taste

50g toasted seeds of choice (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower)

METHOD

1. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, remove the stone and scoop the flesh into the TM bowl.

2. Add the lemon juice and leeks.

3. Add the washed and dried kale to the TM bowl.

4. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast, cumin and salt.

5. Place MC on the lid. Stir the ingredients 2 mins/speed 2/REVERSE. Depending on the resilience of the leaves, you may need to increase the speed and the time a little (making sure the blade is on REVERSE so that the leaves breakdown and the avocado is nicely blended in as a dressing.

6. Tip into a salad bowl, sprinkle with seeds and serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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