If you happened to catch my last blog post about Queen Kale, you read how I wasn’t always a fan of Kale. It took time for me to fully appreciate this glorious vegetable. I found clever ways to integrate it into my diet so I still received the nutrients yet didn’t have to taste it. I’d like to share 5 ways to sneak Kale into your diet.
1. Use Kale leaves for wraps instead of lettuce. Next time you decide to make a wrap try substituting leaves of Kale instead.
2. Kale is a great lettuce substitute. When making a sandwich, opt for Kale over lettuce. Or, try making a kale salad.
3. Chop up Kale into little pieces. This is my favorite way to add Kale into my diet. I cut Kale up into bite size pieces and throw it in my smoothies – you never even taste it is in there I swear! Or, you can throw a handful into the food processor and use in pasta, soups, or chili.
4. Kale on pizza, are you kidding? No, I’m not! Next time you make a veggie pizza scatter a little Kale around your pizza.
5. Make Kale chips. This is a great tasting alternative to other processed snacks. Below is a simple Kale chip recipe to try.
Roasted Kale Chips
One 1-1/2 pound bunch organic Kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
¼ teaspoon sea salt -I use this salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and set out 2 ungreased baking sheets with sides (so the Kale doesn’t overflow).
- Rinse the Kale under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. It is important the Kale is completely dry so it gets crisp when in the oven.
- Remove and discard the stems then chop Kale into bite sized pieces.
- Toss the Kale leaves into a large bowl. Sprinkle in the olive oil, pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper ensuring to coat all the Kale pieces. Then arrange the leaves onto the baking sheet. Cook 7 to 8 minutes or until the chips are crisp. If they are not crisp enough to your liking, you can put them back into the oven for a little longer. After the chips are finished in the oven let them cool.
- Then eat and enjoy!
Serving (2 cups): 126 calories, 17g protein, 17g carbohydrates, 5g fat (0.8 g saturated), 7mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 240mg sodium
The above article was written via the inspiration of the book, “50 Shades of Kale”. Click here
How fun it is to think you are being sneaky yet you are really being good?!
Until next time.
Cheers,