Kale + Cranberry Salad
8:30 AM
Y'all know I'm all
about simple. Right?
Y'all also know how
passionate I am about fueling my body with the most nutritious foods.
Right?
Ok...for the most
part...anyways! ;)
Whatdya get when you
combine simple + healthy?
Well...if you read
the title of this post, you would know you get a Kale + Cranberry
Salad... and it's literally...as easy and delicious as it sounds.
5 years ago, you
could have handed me a bunch of kale and I would have never known what it was. I
would have tasted it and hated it and never wanted it again. In fact, you
probably couldn't have paid me to actually eat kale and pretend to like
it.
Fast forward to now.
Obviously...I know what kale is but more so, I've learned just how beneficial
kale is to your health and also, ways to actually enjoy it!
Kale
Quickies:
- Highest antioxidant capacity of all the greens. Antioxidants fight free radicals (the bad, cancer-causing stuff).
- Excellent source of vitamins A ("A" for awesome for skin), C ("C" for collagen-builder and immune booster) calcium (bone builder), carotene and lutein (both excellent nutrients for the eyes and for reducing the risk of macular degeneration).
- LOADED with fiber. Think "regular". ;)
- One of the most important foods to buy organic. Remember: the thinner the skin, the more important to buy organic. For example, kale has no "skin"...you eat it as is. Same with all greens. On the other hand, oranges and bananas both have a thick skin that you don't eat. While it's always ideal to buy these organic, well, I know how expensive that can be and for someone who doesn't have an neverending bank account, I know that buying 100% organic 100% of the time is sometimes impossible. Do what you can and don't kick yourself if you can't. (If you learn one thing from me...I hope it's that you learn to always, always purchase organic greens.)
Okay. Okay.
Okay.
Enough with the Bill
Nye stuff. Here's what you'll need:
1 bunch organic kale | 1 C
dried cranberries | 1 C golden raisins | 3/4 C almond | 3/8 C Extra Virgin Olive
Oil
Rinse your kale and
cut it into about 2 inch pieces. Toss the thick, veiny base of the stalks. Ain't
nobody got time fo' dat.
Find the largest bowl
in your house (seriously...my kale was so fluffy I thought I was going to have
to resort to using my bathtub as my mixing bowl) and combine all
ingredients.
If you're a fan of
lemon juice and/or sea salt (raises hand), feel free to add a little to your
mix. It's not completely necessary but sometimes I need a little somethin'
somethin' to lessen the taste of the olive oil. Lemon juice and sea salt do just
that!
Toss yo' salad and
just like that my friends...you have just made your very first Kale +
Cranberry Salad! Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving because,
afterall, who wants a hot salad?
Enjoy as a side dish
or if you're me, eat a ton of it for lunch with a side of fresh fruit because
you're too lazy to heat up your leftovers. ;)
There.
Don't say I never did anything for you. ;)
En. Friggin. Joy.
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