Kale – A Healthy Option

Kale-Yeah, The carefree days of summer are here, finally! I always find myself looking for a healthy option to bring to parties that everyone will like and this salad is a hit every time! I have emailed it out so much over the years! I hope your family enjoys it too, let me know!

Work the dressing into the kale a little bit ahead of time to soften it. I love the Inca Red brand of quinoa because you don’t have to rinse it and it cooks in 15 minutes. If you are in a super hurry or on the run you can always buy a vinaigrette dressing to use instead of making this really simple one.

Kale is an abundant source of phytonutrients like quercetin, which helps combat inflammation and prevents arterial plaque formation, and sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting compound. Kale is also a great source of alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), the omega-3 fatty acid that’s essential for brain health, reduces Type 2 diabetes risk and improves heart health as well.

You get even more bang out of your bunch of kale from adding a healthy fat like the olive oil in this dressing which makes the fat-soluble carotenoids more available to the body. And acid from the vinegar helps make kale’s iron more bio available as well.

Here’s the recipe:

chopped Kale: 4 cups
chopped romaine: 4 cups
1 C cooked quinoa
1/2 C seeds or chopped nuts
1/2 C raisins or other dried fruit
dressing:
1/3 C olive oil
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
1Tbsp Dijon mustard
1Tbsp curry powder

Toss together and enjoy!

Please let me know how it turns out and any additions that you liked!

For more tips visit my website at: www.shinehealthllc.com