Massaged Kale & Happy Friday

Let me just say that I. LOVE. KALE.  I didn't used to like it, but a friend introduced me to the massaging technique.  Thank you, Carrie!  There's something special about the texture, the slight bitterness when you eat it raw and the little glow it gives your skin after eating it day after day.  Okay, I might be exaggerating a little bit about how often I eat it, but dark leafy greens definitely do help give you "the glow."  It also aids in digestion, is full of nutrients -- micro and macro -- and contains a decent amount of protein at 2.2 g / 1 cup of chopped.

Kale is a great anti-inflammatory.  Inflammation is the Number One cause of arthritis, heart disease and many autoimmune diseases.  Animal products contribute to inflammation, so why not eat kale and potentially reverse some of these diseases.

Kale has more iron than beef!  Now there's one reason to make a huge massaged kale salad tonight!

Calcium is an important nutrient for good bone health.  Kale has more calcium per calorie than milk and is better absorbed by your body.

A serving of kale contains 121 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 92.4 mg of omega-6 fatty acids.

Kale is rich in Vitamins A & C, which help boost your immune system.

I prepare my massaged kale salad a day before I intend to eat it because I think it tastes better the longer it sits.  You can use a variety of recipes, but I really like Carrie's peanut dressing that I posted Wednesday, so that's what I used.  Another option is Chef AJ's Hail to the Kale dressing

REDUCED FAT HAIL TO THE KALE DRESSING
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup raw almond butter (unsweetened/unsalted)
1 x 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2) and zest
2 cloves garlic
Fresh, peeled ginger (1" or 1/2 oz.)
2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari
4 pitted dates (soaked in water if not soft)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
METHOD:
In a high-powered blender, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.

After you remove the kale from the thick stems and have washed it really well (for some reason it's always really dirty) spin it dry and chop into small pieces.  Put it in a large bowl and top it with enough dressing to cover the greens quite nicely.  Here's a photo of the peanut dressing -- sorry it's sorta blurry.

 And now here's the dirty part... take off your jewelry and dig in just like you were mixing a meatloaf (remember those days of meatloaf?).  Moosh it around for a few minutes and it should look like this:

 Then all you have to do is put it in a bowl for tomorrow's lunch!  I top mine with hemp seeds, some raisins and pecans, and a few slices of mini tomatoes to give it a little extra somethin'.  Yumm!

What's not to love?

I hope your Friday is good, you're all ready for the holidays and you will have time to relax over the weekend before the chaos begins.  I know I plan on doing some last-minute shopping, getting groceries for the week, doing my usual Sunday food prep and one of the things I'm looking forward to the most... seeing my son perform at a local coffee shop.

Have a great weekend and I'll be back here on Monday to share what I did in the kitchen over the weekend.