Deep Green Kale Salad – Eat Yourself Well

Around this time of year, it is important to remember to nourish our bodies with hearty, organic greens, full of antioxidants and minerals.  This simple kale salad is hearty enough to be a meal on it’s own, but is delicious served with whole grains or soup. This salad also helps to keep your body in an alkaline state, which is vital for a healthy digestive system. Kale really is a super-food that if eaten a few times a week, will really boost your immune system.

Deep Green Kale Salad with Spicy Chili Lime Dressing

• 1 bunch curly kale
• 1 tomato
• 1 package sprouts (radish, alfalfa, etc…)
• 1/2 avocado sliced
• 2-3 Tablespoons sunflower seeds

For the Chili Lime Dressing

• 1 soft avocados
• Juice of 1 oranges
• Juice of 3 small limes
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2  teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2  teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 cup water

Blend everything together at a high speed in the blender.  Stem the kale and tear into bite sized pieces.  In a bowl, add a few tablespoons of dressing to the dry kale and mix well, rubbing the dressing into the kale until it begins to wilt.  Top with sliced tomato, avocado, sprouts and sunflowers seeds and serve.

More on the Wonders of kale:

Among the Brassicas, kale is the King. Perhaps because of its unusual and colorful appearance, kale has long been used for salad bar decoration. Curly kale has ruffled, deep green leaves; ornamental kale is green, white or purple; and dinosaur kale has shiny blue-green leaves. Yet Kale isn’t just a pretty face! It is particularly rich in beta-carotene (which protects against diseases of the skin) and the carotenoid lutein (which prevents damage to the eyes), with seven times the beta-carotene and ten times the lutein fellow Brassica family member broccoli contains. Kale’s vitamin content is also exceptional. Just one cup of raw kale contains 15% of the recommended daily value of calcium and Vitamin B6, 40% of the magnesium, 180% of the Vitamin A, 200% of the Vitamin C and a whopping 1020% of the Vitamin K. The boost in immune support and antioxidant protection provided by these vitamins could help ward off the colds and flus of the season, not to mention more serious diseases.