Your whole food, plant-based life.

Raw Food Friend: Kale

I have been in Boulder, Colorado for the last few days helping my daughter move into her new digs. As far as college “homes” go, she found a great house to share with some girlfriends. It has been an exhausting few days. We rented a truck packed up all her stuff, drove 6 miles and unpacked everything. Between boxes, assembling furniture, and organizing, it has been an exhausting few days. I will be back in my own bed tonight, sleeping soundly but missing my girls.

The first item on my agenda tomorrow morning will be hitting the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market. I need to restock my greens and at the top of the list will be kale. First because I am craving my favorite, Kale Chips, second, because after a bit of a exhausting trip, I feel like I need to refuel. And feasting on kale is a wonderful way to do that.

Kale provides one of the highest nutrition per calorie ratio. Kale is a part of the brassica family. Other members include cabbage, collard greens and brussle sprouts. High in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K, kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli! It is also a great source of fiber. But what makes kale really stand out are the phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which kale is abundant in. Research suggests that these important nutrients protect us against cancer.

Research has found that kale’s sulpher containing phytonutrients activate detoxifing enzymes in the liver that help neutralize potentially carcinogenic substances. When we eat kale, our genes increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, and our bodies eliminate harmful compounds. Kale is one of the powerhouses in it’s ability to help our bodies be healthy.

It is interesting to note that when you lightly cook kale, the vitamin K content increases significantly. Food for thought.

You can find the recipe for my favorite Kale Chips here: Rawmazing Kale Chips

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19 Comments

  1. Cheryl wrote on October 21, 2013

    Can the kale chips be made another way if l do not have a dehydrator?

    Reply
    • Susan wrote on October 23, 2013

      You can try making them in an over with really low heat but it is very hard to keep the temps low enough to stay raw. Cheers!

      Reply
  2. Rose wrote on August 17, 2011

    Just joined your website after going through several raw foods sites and really love your recipes! Boulder!! Did you get to our Farmers Market? We have a house in Nederland 17 miles directly west of Boulder we are going to start renting as a vacation place as we moved “down below”. If ever coming to visit your daughter and would love to stay in the mountains and would be interested in “bartering” let me know. I am just starting the raw foods and considered taking classes but would love to spend time learning from you in exchange for a place to stay.

    Reply
  3. carol wrote on August 19, 2010

    Which Boulder store selling book?

    Reply
  4. Eli wrote on August 17, 2010

    Ronn: When I first started with Kale, it had to be in a green smoothie. Over time I found those too sweet so I switched to “savory” green smoothies—instead of fruit they use other veggies and spices. Victoria Boutenko’s book has recipes and I used those. After a while I began to dislike the texture, so instead of a smoothie I would pulse the VitaMix a few times; I called these green chunkies; essentially I was drinking a salad. This evolved into just making a normal salad but with kale and collard and other greens instead of lettuce. (This also drew fewer comments at work.) I soak the dark greens in cold water for 15 minutes, they absorb some of it, maybe this is akin to sprouting? Anyway, it enhances the flavor.

    But my real advice is that you have to take it a step at a time.

    ps, I’ve found that I enjoy regular fruit green smoothies on occasion again, for variety.
    pps, my son will drink the fruit green smoothies, and I’m sure he’ll devour the chips.

    Reply
  5. Jodi wrote on August 17, 2010

    I love Kale, either a good kale salad or kale chips but it’s one of my staples!
    Love the photos as usual!
    Thanks

    Reply
  6. Faith Lubitz wrote on August 17, 2010

    Marcia- did you really go 72 DAYS on green juice? or 72 hours? if 72 days, did you lose a huge amount of weight? thanks- Faith

    Reply
  7. Marty wrote on August 17, 2010

    I too love kale, all varieties, and chips! OMG I thought I’d died and gone to heaven the first time I tried them!

    The Engine 2 Diet, Rip Esselstyn’s book has a wonderful Kale Dip recipe I’ve been making. 1 bunch kale lightly steamed for 5 mins, 1/2-C steaming water, 1/2-C walnuts, 1/2 tsp salt. Blend in Vitamix adding more steamed kale water if necessary.it’s a lovely green and is great dip for other veggies. I’ve used a combo of green greens lightly steamed, fresh garlic and fresh lemon, as well as soaked almonds or pecans in exchange for the walnuts.

    Reply

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