In a conversation at work the other day I announced – as I do often regarding various things, that brazil nuts are one of my fav things, which then sparked a conversation where a couple of my colleagues, and good friends, told me that brazil nuts remind them of me, along with grapefruit, avocado, spinach and green things. YUSS. This thrills me no end as I really like green things – all green things – not just foodie green things but green jackets, other clothes, manchester, bags, tea towels, drink bottles, need I go on? In fact green is my all-time favourite colour, closely followed by red and then probably blue. My wardrobe was awfully awkward a couple of summers ago as for a while green dominated and red wasn’t far behind. Now I’m as festive as the next person, but there is a limit people, and I hit it.
Green to me is vibrant, energetic and wholesome; and although we can’t be all of those things, all of the time (ridiculous suggestion!) I do like what the element ‘green’ stands for. I’m not saying everyone agrees, yellow is also quite fabulous, but green, I love.
Kale. Kale is another thing I love. And is green.
I stalked kale on Instagram long before I found it at Commonsense Organics and then at the supermarket and now for $1 for a bunch at the Saturday fruit and vege market across the road from my house – lucky!! I find kale to be a little bitter, so I prefer not to have it raw in salad too often unless it’s mixed with spinach, although baby kale is less bitter and is yummoh! I do highly rate kale in smoothies and green juice though, and it is full of good stuff for you including Vitamins A, K and C. It’s also high in Calcium, is full of fiber and has a decent amount of protein so is pretty excellent all round really. To reap all of the benefits of kale, just like other dark leafy greens, it’s good to mix it with some form of ‘good fat’ like chia seeds or coconut oil in smoothies and juices as this helps to release the vitamins.
I think my favourite thing to do with kale is to make Kale chips – oh yum. Give the following a whirl …
Kale chips
Heat your over to a approximately 120 degrees celcius.
Cut the leafy kale of the hard stalk and then tear up into small – medium sized leafs (not tiny)
Throw the kale into a bowl and slosh some melted coconut oil or a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle some Himalayan mineral salt over the top – you can also sprinkle a little paprika if you are a fan. Mix altogether with your hands, making sure that all of the kale is covered in oil.
Spread out over a baking tray on top of baking paper and bung the tray into the oven for between 5-10mins. Keep an eye on the kale as you don’t want it to burn but leave until it’s smelling good and is sliiiiiighty bronzed.
Take out of the oven and let the kale cool. It should be crunchy as it cools off and delish to eat!
Made this last night. A strange new taste sensation! Nice and crispy light.