Kale Salad - delicious!

The other night in San Francisco, my mom and I went to a restaurant called Campanule. I had a tomato bisque and a toasted kale salad. The salad was amazing. I had never had kale before but have always heard it is really good for you. Kale is also available as early as February and March in the farmers market if you want to eat more locally (You’ll hear my take on this in a few days when I have more time to write)

According to the New York Times, Recipes for Health, “Like its cousins, kale is packed with health-promoting sulfur compounds, and it has been found to have the greatest antioxidant capacity of all fruits and vegetables. It's an excellent source of vitamins K, A and C, as well as manganese, and a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and potassium. All of this nutritional value comes in a low-calorie package.”

The salad had toasted kale, romaine, red onion, gorgonzola, and a balsamic vinagrette.

Here is an easy way to make toasted kale from wholefoodsmarket.com:

You'll be surprised how easy and tasty this kale preparation is. Andrea from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, sent us this recipe with a note: "It's the only recipe I've found where the kale is not masked by other flavors or cooking methods, and it's crunchy. That makes it fun to eat, plus it's delicious." We are in complete agreement; this recipe quickly became a test kitchen favorite.

Ingredients

2 bunches kale 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, minced 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse kale and pat dry thoroughly. Remove and discard thick ribs and roughly chop leaves. Pat leaves dry again. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Kale does not need to be in a single layer, as it will shrink in volume as it cooks. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until leaves are tender, crisp on edges and slightly browned. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 100 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 3g protein, 5g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium

Enjoy!!

(also note pictures to come on Tuesday when I get back to the East Coast)