31 Days of Green: Day 4 Kale

Kale is king in my book. It is one of my favorite foods. It’s sweet and crisp and delicious raw or cooked. You can add it to smoothies and even make addicting kale chips. It is also super healthy for you. It is loaded with vitamins A, C and K. As well as fiber, folate, and antioxidants. I have featured the lacinato or dinosaur kale here because I like the way it looks the most. However there are many varieties and all are delicious and nutritious. Read more about how great kale is for you here.

We eat kale regularly because it is abundant at the farmers market throughout the colder months here. One of the farmers told me that kale gets sweeter after a freeze because it triggers it to store its sugars. We like it raw and marinated, sautéed into any random stir-fry, or cooked up next to some eggs. The recipe I have for you today is pretty adaptable for whatever vegetables you like or have around. The “noodles” are julienned yellow squash. You can pick up a julienne tool for less than ten dollars. This would be a great side dish, but we had it for dinner. I included the hemp seeds to give a complete protein source and plenty of healthy fats to help you absorb the vitamins from the kale better. Happy kale-ing!

Kale and Creamy ‘Noodles’

Gluten free, Vegan

Serves 2-4

1 bunch kale

2 yellow squash

2 carrots

2 tbl coconut oil

¼ cup hemp seeds

Yellow Cream Sauce

Adapted from this book

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup water

3 tbl tahini

1 clove garlic

1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp maple syrup or honey

¼ tsp cayenne or to taste

½ tsp salt or to taste

squash cores (optional)

Heat up coconut oil over medium low on a skillet. Julienne carrots and add to the skillet. Turn it up to medium. Julienne the squash (you will have some core left, which is great for stock or you can throw it into the sauce recipe to bulk it up), and add it to the skillet. Let the carrot and squash cook for about 8 minutes, gently turning occasionally.  While it cooks slice your kale into strips by bunching it up and making thin cuts (see the picture). Mix in the kale strips and cook for 3 more minutes then turn off the heat. Make your sauce by combining all of the ingredients in the blender. Taste it before you pore it over the salad. Once the sauce is mixed in add the hemp seeds and turn a couple times to mix in. Serve warm.

Notes and Substitutions

You can use any variety of vegetables you like, but definitely use yellow squash or zucchini for the noodles.

You may not need all of the sauce, you can freeze the extra.

What is your favorite kale recipe?