Bright Kale Salad

This salad is colourful, tasty and satisfying.  This is great to have on its own or with more fixings to make it hearty – nuts, seeds, additional vegetables and/or whole grains.  It’s a great addition to any meal.  It’s a completely nourishing simple salad offering loads of fiber, vitamins, minerals and anticancer properties.  Celery lends a mild salty taste to this salad.

Ingredients:

Bunch of purple kale (about 4 cups)
1 carrot, peeled entirely
1 celery, peeled entirely
½ red pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
Herbamare aromatic sea salt to taste

1.  Wash the kale and spin well to dry.  Massage oil into kale leaves to soften it.
2.  Add the thin carrot and celery peels, with chunks of red pepper.
3.   Squeeze lemon over salad and Herbamare to taste. Toss and serve. Serves 2.

Enjoy!

Note:  You can also grill kale for a smoky flavour (soak it in coconut milk for a few hours or overnight, then grill….its delicious).  I find purple kale tastes the best raw if you are just getting used to eating kale.  It has a milder flavour and tender texture.

  Whole Food Sneak Peak:        
          Celery

Click on these links and scroll to the bottom to learn about the nutritional benefits of kale.

Celery is a member of the Umbelliferae family, along with carrots, parsley and fennel.  Mostly celery is associated with its stalks, however, its leaves, roots and seeds are also used as food and seasoning.  Celery is crisp and delicious.  It’s composed of leaf-topped ribs with the collection of ribs forming the stalk.    It comes in different shades of green and the ribs have a crunchy texture and a delicate but mildly salty taste.

Celery is an excellent source of vitamin C (potent antioxidant) and fiber.  It also contains potassium, sodium, folic acid, silica, vitamin A and B’s (B6, B1, B2) and calcium.  It contains more sodium than most other vegetables, however it’s offset by very high potassium levels.  It’s important to mention that the amount of sodium is not significant and will not affect even the most salt sensitive individuals.    

It also has a high water content, which will keep your body hydrated.  Celery contains skin healthy nutrients -- the silica can help your skin hold water and is important to the tone and firmness of your skin.  Celery was traditionally used as a diuretic and can help people get rid of excess fluid, such as the puffiness under your eyes or in your feet during pregnancy. 

Celery contains phytochemical compounds known as coumarins.  Coumarin compounds help tone the vascular system, lower blood pressure, help lower cholesterol and may be useful in cases of migraines.  It’s shown to be useful in cancer prevention and enhancing the activity of certain WBC (white blood cells – fight infection).  It improves detoxification.  Celery extract has been shown to produce significant benefits in the treatment of “rheumatism” (general term used for arthritic and muscular aches and pains).   This vegetable is thought to have a relaxing effect by calming the nerves. 

If you have a sore throat, blend together celery and cucumber and gently sip it and it will gently, yet quickly soothe your throat. 

Celery based juices are fantastic consumed after a workout due to its rich potassium and sodium content which serve as a great electrolyte replacement drink.  Blending or juicing it (along with pear, apple, cucumber, ginger root) offers a refreshing, alkalizing pick-me-up.

Celery is great with nut butters for a refreshing, filling snack.  It is great in salads, stews, soups, juiced and stir-fries. 

 

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