Aphra - Kale Recipes: Natures Superfood for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Also somewhat common in availability has been flowering kale, also known as ornamental kale, distinctive by its purple or white interior leaf color. Purple flowering kale was most often relegated to a decorative function to line plates and banquet spreads but with the growing popularity of kale as a super vegetable, this is happily changing. Many chefs and cooks are now making use of the attractive flowering kale varieties to add interest to salads, slaws, and stews. When seeking flowering kale for culinary purposes, be sure to purchase through a supermarket or reputable farmer as actual ornamental kale bouquets, generally sold in pots for seasonal outdoor dcor, are not recommended for eating due to the possible use of chemicals and its accompanying lack of flavor and quality texture for cooking. These attractive edible varieties are more easily found as the demand for kale has risen. Most recently, the darling of the kale world has been the black kale variety.

Sometimes referred to as dinosaur kale, cavolo nero, lacinato, or Tuscan kale, this type is prized for its plentiful health benefits and its tender leaves. Particularly popular with raw food enthusiasts, lacinato kale is a terrific addition to the growing selection of hybrids and varieties we are now seeing available and able to utilize in the kitchen as a wonderful ingredient for any number of dishes. With blistered leaves resembling a dinosaurs skin which had prompted its moniker, black kale has a sweeter flavor, noted in fact as far back as Thomas Jeffersons time when he recorded his Monticello garden results in 1777. More plentifully available in Europe over the past two centuries, lacinato kale has finally found its place in modern American cuisine and has been welcomed with open arms and palate within the last few years in particular. Also readily available, although not an actual variety of kale, are packaged collections of baby kale, that are simply early growth which have not been cultivated to maturity.

Health Benefits

As a member of the healthful cruciferous family, kale offers many of the same nutritional benefits our more common vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage contain.

Health Benefits

As a member of the healthful cruciferous family, kale offers many of the same nutritional benefits our more common vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage contain.

Low in calories, high in fiber, rich in beta carotene, calcium, and vitamins C and K, kale also provides an excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin. These two types of carotenoids, more commonly associated with carrots and orange pigments, are extremely plentiful in kale and have shown to be instrumental in warding off eye loss problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Kale, similar to its broccoli cousin, also contains sulforaphane which has been linked to anti-cancer capabilities. Chopping and mincing kale appears to release more of this potent phytonutrient and retaining its content is more likely when prepared by methods other than strictly boiling, such as sauting and microwaving. On a similar note, kale and many of its brassica family are an excellent source of a chemical known to boost DNA repair called indole-3-carbinol.

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Green Drinks and Smoothies

Green er Pastures Juiced Delight

Gorgeous, fresh, kale leaves highlight this staple green drink of health that will delight every kale fanatic and juice aficionado.

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