I am intrigued with the vegetable kale. I did not eat kale growing up. My children did not eat kale growing up. And I am pretty certain none of my grandchildren have eaten kale. Most of our experience with kale is the garnish on a plate that is quickly pushed aside. You mention kale and people wrinkle up their nose or raise their eyebrow as they mumble, “what is that”?
Kale is a leafy green vegetable with a mild earthy flavor. It is absolutely rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber that most Americans fail to get. According to recent research results, kale is an incredible source of well-absorbed calcium, which is one of the many factors that may help prevent osteoporosis. Kale is king!
I came across a food blog called 365 Days of Kale and found a kale humus recipe. Since I am leaving for the Healthy Living Summit tomorrow, I thought this would be a good food to bring along to snack on with veggies or crackers.
I started out by swishing the kale leaves in a sink full of cold water. Since the leaves are curled tight, I wanted to make sure there were no crawly things hiding. Drain and place in large sauce pan. Bring to boil and steam leaves for 5-8 minutes. There was enough water still on the leaves so I didn’t have to add any more.
Drain cooked kale and set aside to cool.
In food processor place drained garbanzo beans, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 roasted red peppers, salt and pepper to taste and 2 T. tahini. (ground sesame seeds). Pulse until finely minced. While processor is still running, drizzle olive oil in. (about 2-3 T.) Then add 1 c. kale and pulse a few times. You still want to see pieces of kale.
Serve with fresh veggies and sesame bread sticks.
I spent some time cutting up veggies to pack for our trip. I also fixed a sack of almonds and dried cherries. I will bring my favorite Greek yogurt with my Swiss Muesli and lots of bottled water. Look out Chicago and Healthy Living Summitiers…I am packed and ready to go! Stay posted…will fill you in on all the happenings!
Kale has been popping up everywhere! I like the idea of it being in hummus.. I might have to give this a go!
What an interesting twist for hummus! Looks delicious.
Jane,
Like you, I tried humus just this year and thought I would hate it but really enjoyed it. A roasted red pepper humus at an outdoor Bistro overlooking the sea near here. It was served with warmed pita points, and as it was a hot summer day I enjoyed a glass of white wine with it. A nice lunch indeed = of course the setting didn’t hurt any! I am wondering what kind of Swiss Muesili you are making or eating. Want to pair it with Greek Yogurt! There are a number of recipes on line of course. Enjoy Chicago and the Summit. Can’t wait to hear all… Also, I’m reading The Third Chapter for women in the middle years of their life. Slow read but good to think that we will probably live to 100 so we better figure out what to do with the next half of our lives!
Wow, you are scooting right along with the book! The summit was interesting, got a lot of free stuff, didn’t learn a much new. Some big-time bloggers there.