by Caitlyn

I thought writing a little about kale would be interesting because Mark and I have been eating, and drinking, quite a lot of the green stuff around here lately!  The curly stuff is actually very healthy for you and I bet there are some things you didn’t know about it, either.  I learned a few things myself!

Kale is in the same family as Brussels sprouts and cabbage, for instance.  That surprised me.  In scientific terms, the name for it is Brassica.  Another name for it is cruciferus, which basically means that these veggies have a corkscrew or cross shape to them, or at least, some early botanist thought they did!  All of the vegetables in this family are at their best during the winter months into very early spring, which is great for us right now.  Kale in particular goes great in salads, smoothies, and makes absolutely awesome kale chips.

As far as health benefits go, kale is rich in vitamins A — helpful for good skin and eyesight and vitamin C — a good antioxidant for immunity both during flu season and all during the year.  This green also has iron for good healthy haemoglobin levels and calcium for good bones.  Kale also has phytonutrients, which help prevent certain types of cancer: notably bladder, breast, ovarian, and colon cancers.  Kale is also well documented in helping to prevent some forms of epithelial (skin) cancer, as well as cataracts because of both its beta carotene and carotenoid content.

A cup of kale contains only about 36 calories, making it a good choice for those of us who are watching our waistlines, but as you can see, it packs a big nutritional punch for those measly 36 calories!    Kale is also a good source of vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium.  A small note of caution for those who have existing kidney or gallbladder problems: kale does contain oxalates, so eating large quantities of it may aggravate those conditions.  But, as with any health condition, only you and your doctor can know what’s best for you and your body.

Now, for the really fun stuff!  I found out there are a couple of varieties of kale.  It comes in “dinosaur”, which is blue grey in colour and has embossed looking leaves.  I haven’t found any of this in my local grocery store yet, but am dying to.  I just have to try it just because of the name!  There is curly kale, which has curly leaves.  That one is a no-brainer, I guess!  And there is ornamental kale, which is also called salad savoy.  This one is a newbie to the kale scene, having been cultivated in California in the 1980’s and it’s pretty mild tasting.  So far, I’ve only found the curly kind here.  I’ve also heard of black kale, but I think that might be another name for Dinosaur kale.  Apparently, Romans were quite fond of it, and settlers brought it over here to North America from the U.K. in the 1700’s.

OK, OK, I’ve made everybody wait long enough!  Mark wasn’t much of a veggie eater before I embarked on my vegetarian journey, let alone raw!  Now, he’s not only *eating* vegetables, he’s drinking them in juices and smoothies, too!  He’s also eating them as *snacks*!  Just for fun, I though I’d include my recipe for kale chips here.  When I make these, I can’t keep them in the house – they get chomped up so fast!  Mark loves them, the dogs love them, and I can’t keep from snagging them out of the dehydrator while they are “cooking”!  I only have a five tray model, but if you happen to have a 9 tray model, just use more bunches of kale, or if you have the three tray starter model of dehydrator, just use a few  less bunches of kale.  This is really “gloppy” and messy to mix up, so if you’ve got kids, they’d probably love to get in on the fun to help make these.  They take me about 20 minutes to make, not including the dehydrating time, of course.

Kale Chips

3 bunches of kale (any type)
½ cup raw cashews (don’t have to soak, but can if you wish)
1/8 cup water
½ cup green onion
1 T nutritional yeast
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 T agave nectar or 2 soaked dates (you can get raw agave nectar, but it’s hard to find)
2 T lemon juice

Rinse the kale under cool water. Tear the kale into 4 or 5 inch pieces and set aside in a huge bowl.  Put the remaining ingredients into a high speed blender and blend at high speed until creamy.  Pour over kale leaves and coat all the leaves.  Spread over the dehydrator trays on non-stick sheets and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 12 to 18 hours or until dry and crispy.

These need to be stored in an airtight container and don’t keep for very long!    If you want to store them for longer, you can freeze them, but I haven’t tried this myself.  Personally, they don’t last long enough around here usually!

Enjoy!