My cooking classes that I teach are focused on nutrition and budgeting. It's been a learning process for me in both areas. Certainly I am aware of fruits and veggies being good for you but I have had to learn about the actual nutrition facts about things. Not calories or fat but why something is good for you...that kind of stuff. I have taught classes focused on the health needs of pregnancy, growing kids, and all the while attempt to make the recipes appealing (aka...yummy) and budget friendly. The people in my classes have all different kinds of skill levels and backgrounds but most of them are there to learn how to cook real food vs. pre-packaged, shelf food or just picking up fast food. In other words...unlike people who are willing to give up a bit of taste if they are dieting, my students are not looking for an "almost version" of the foods they normally eat but expect the food to taste good, healthy or not. That's a tough challenge when working with some people who can't recall the last time they ate a fresh vegetable or piece of fruit. In addition I have to find delicious, healthy food on the cheap.
One of my big challenges was greens. They are affordable and the super veggie of all super veggies. I taught braised greens in my first class. It seemed so natural. Oh my goodness, I braised them in chicken stock with a tons of garlic, and some red pepper. Yes, I was braising them with some of the major flavor players. I put them on the plate and my face matched the looks of my students. Eeeww. The plopped, soggy mess of muddy looking greens sat there on our plates. I forced a smile and explained...these are so, sooo good for you. Reeeeally good for you. Then one of my favorite students looked at me and goes...then you eat them. Okay...he was right. I hate them. They taste like dirt, they are mushy and I had to force them down just like most of my other students. NOW...I know some of you are going ...Oh my gosh I love braised green...Mmmmm. GOOD for you. You should try brasing them in chicken stock, garlic and red pepper flakes. But I don't and I am guessing it's hard to convince your kids to eat them. I will tell you I certainly wasn't inspiring my students, a group of teenagers, that they should give up McDonalds for that stuff.
BUT...here are the hard facts. Kale, THE green, is a super-power food. It packs quite the resume. It is an awesome source of fiber, 1 cup gives you 20% of your daily requirements. It also has this amazing micro-nutrient called isothiocyanate that prevents a bacteria that grows on your stomach lining that can cause gastric cancer. It has AMAZING antioxidants including, carotenoids and flavonoids. (They protect your cells.) Amongst the flavonoids are the super hero two called kaempferol and quercitin which specifically fight against the formation of cancer. That same cup of Kale gives you 10% of your daily allowance of omega-3 fatty acids which help by being anti-inflammatories. Kale contains glucosinolates, which has been shown to also prevent certain cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, gastric and bladder cancer. Those same glucosinolates help detox your body of all the nasty stuff hanging around in your body that you get from eating unhealthy stuff and being around pollutants. Kale's fibers aid in lowering cholesterol. Then there are the vitamins. Oh the MASSIVE amounts of vitamins in 1 cup. Vitamin K, vitaman C and vitamin A. Those vitamins pack a dose of protecting bones, preventing heart disease, strokes, protecting your nervous system, your eyes, boosting immunity and lowering blood pressure.
PHEW. If you skipped that paragraph...just know, Kale = SUPERAMAZING AWESOMENESS
It's almost like...you HAVE to eat it. So I had to figure out some other ways to consume Kale, other than steamy plop of greens on the plate.
With the help of my friend Jessica, who is a huge Kale advocate, I discovered some. Jessica likes to juice kale. She throws together, kale, apples, cucumbers and a few other veggies and fruits. That is my number one favorite way to consume kale. It's really yummy and not at all what you would expect, it's sweet and refreshing when combined with the other veggies and fruit. I had a Powell's mug of it waiting for me at work the other day. She's pretty awesome. (More on Jess later...wait until you taste her banana muffins and see her art work)
New Season's has a delicious raw kale salad that is super easy and very tasty. A third way is the amazing baked kale chips. Oh man. I am not kidding. They are great. Not, oh it's okay for diet food great, but actually really yummy. There are a ton of versions of kale chips floating around on the Internet, but it's easy, you just cut up the kale, toss them in olive oil and salt and bake them. A couple of friends have done the recipe and are now believers. You can sprinkle some parmesan on them. I like a dash of malt vinegar. Either way...they are far from those mushy, soggy greens in my first class.
Go get some greens, your body is begging you.
Baked Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, cut into chip like pieces
Olive Oil
Salt
Toss the kale in the salt and olive oil, you only need about 1 tablespoon. Line flat on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool.
