When we were doing research while writing our most recent book, The Nutrition Twins Veggie Cure we were becoming more and more obsessed with veggies and more adventurous as we ate them too—all parts of them! After all, we were reading studies that showed that some parts of certain veggies offer more beauty and skin protective benefits, while other parts offer top anti-aging or anti-cancer benefits or detoxifying advantages, etc. So we started eating stalks or roots or leaves that we typically tossed out—and preparing them in different tasty ways. We wanted to play around with them a bit before having you eat ‘em too…
We chewed the raw kale stalk for a bit and decided we didn’t think that was something you’d be excited about 😉 and as you know we’re always coming up with easy ways to get more veggies and we want you to LOVE them! After all, although chances are there are veggies to help any health or beauty goal that you have, they need to taste terrific and not simply boost nutrient intake and keep you feeling satisfied (thanks fiber!) for very few calories! help!
So, this recipe is no exception when it comes to a delicious way to get your veggies! (Psst… if you want more ideas for easily getting your veggies, our site is loaded with them, but here’s a few to get you started…
· Bell Pepper and Egg Salad Stuffed Celery
· Skinny Spinach Artichoke Bites
· Tomato, Spinach, Egg n’ Feta Never Tasted Beta Wrap
This salad uses kale, but takes the intimidation factor out (woohoo! 🙂 ) by using lemon juice, olive oil, and honey to soften the leaves, so you don’t have to worry about kale being tough to chew! We tossed in some sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dried cherries for a sweet and tangy crunch, and voila!
Fun fact: If you’ve heard kale is good for you but you aren’t quite sure why—here’s one major way that kale works its’ magic:
Kale has special “detox” capabilities as it aids the liver in both phases of detoxification. In phase one the toxins are made unstable which then be neutralized by phase two –and made water-soluble so that they can be excreted from the body via bile or urine. Buh bye—toxins from pollution, stress, sun and not-so-healthy food and drink!
Ingredients
1 bunch kale
1 lemon
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp honey
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1/8 cup walnuts
¼ cup dried cherries
¼ tsp pepper
Salt to taste
Directions
Remove stalks from kale and rip into bite-sized pieces, then add to large bowl. (Don’t be afraid to use a large bunch of kale, it will end up shrinking!). Juice the lemon and add half of the juice to the bowl along with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Massage the kale until it starts to degrade and wilt, for about 2-3 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the other half of the lemon juice with the honey, pepper, and olive oil. Be sure to whisk it together.
Finely chop the walnuts.
Pour the dressing over the kale and add the sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dried cherries. Toss the salad and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts per Serving
Calories: 124
Carbohydrates: 11g
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 g
Protein: 2.5g
Sodium: 3.5 mg
Sugar: 5g
Fiber: 1g
- 1 bunch of kale
- 1 lemon
- ⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- ⅛ cup sunflower seeds
- ⅛ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup dried cherries
- ¼ tsp pepper
- Salt to taste
- Remove stalks from kale and rip into bite-sized pieces, then add to large bowl. (Don’t be afraid to use a large bunch of kale, it will end up shrinking!). Juice the lemon and add half of the juice to the bowl along with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Massage the kale until it starts to degrade and wilt, for about 2-3 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine the other half of the lemon juice with the honey, pepper, and olive oil. Be sure to whisk it together.
- Finely chop the walnuts.
- Pour the dressing over the kale and add the sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dried cherries. Toss the salad and enjoy!