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Featured Ingredient: Winter Greens Salad Serves 4 Dressing ¹⁄³ cup sundried tomatoes ¹⁄³ cup extra virgin olive oil Juice and zest of 1 medium lemon (¼ cup juice) 1½ Tbs. raw honey Scant ½ tsp. sea salt ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes Salad 1 large bunch curly green kale, ribs removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces, and massaged 1 medium Haas avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced Fresh grated Parmesan cheese to taste, optional 1. Cover sundried tomatoes in boiling water in a small bowl for a few minutes to rehydrate and soften. Remove from the water and transfer to high-speed blender, reserving soak water. Let water cool until it’s warm, but not overly hot.
Kale
Once upon a time there was a testing procedure used by the USDA to determine the antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables. It was called the ORAC test. Researchers would look at all the different antioxidants and phytochemicals that are found in a plant food and determine how well they worked together as a team to fight cell-damaging free radicals. The foods were given what’s called an ORAC rating. Kale consistently scored as number one among the vegetables. (The ORAC test has since been retired, but kale continues to score high rankings on virtually all the tests that have replaced it.) Kale is actually a type of cabbage, which means that it has even more health benefits than its antioxidant power alone. Like others in the brassica family, it contains powerful phytochemicals such as cancer-fighting indoles. It’s also high in sulfur, and contains a compound known as sulforaphane, which helps give a boost to the body’s detoxification enzymes and may help fight cancer as well. Sulforaphane is formed when the vegetables containing it are chopped or chewed, and it triggers the liver to remove free radicals and other chemicals that may cause DNA damage. Several studies—including one in the prestigious Journal of Nutrition—have demonstrated that sulforaphane helps stop breast cancer proliferation. Kale is also loaded with calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C, and bone-building K. It contains seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and 10 times as much lutein and zeaxanthin, eye-protecting carotenoids known to help protect against macular degeneration. And 2 cups of the stuff contain about 4g of protein and 3g of fiber, making it an all-around nutritional powerhouse vegetable.
2. Combine ¼ cup cooled soak water, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, and salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Stir in red pepper flakes.
Per serving: 290 cal; 2g prot; 27g total fat (3.5g sat fat); 15g carb; 0mg chol; 320mg sod; 4g fiber; 7g sugar
Notes from the Clean Food Coach: Photo: adobestock.com
Photo: Pornchai Mittongtare; Styling: Robin Turk; Food Stylist: Claire Stancer
3. To make salad, combine prepared kale and dressing, and toss until thoroughly coated. Gently fold in the avocado and top with Parmesan, if using.
To prepare curly kale for a raw salad, strip the greens from the stems with your fingers. The stems can be chopped and sautéed or stir-fried for another use later. Chop the leafy part of the kale into small pieces—large pieces make the salad harder to eat. Sprinkle the chopped kale lightly with salt and massage it well with clean hands for about 30 seconds. Don’t be afraid to squeeze it hard all over to help break down the fibers. Raw kale is tough and can have a bitter edge—lightly salting and massaging it will mellow the flavor and soften the texture without cooking.
FEBRUARY 2020
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