Give your veggies a massage!
In an effort to save money and eat healthy, I'll often spend one or two evenings a week preparing a bunch of food for the next couple days. Quinoa, sauerkraut, smoothies, salads, I'll make it all in big batches and divide it into little portions to take with me. Many times between work and rehearsal I'm gone literally all day; and in the morning I will pack all 3 meals plus snacks. Also, whilst I am quite la gourmandita when it comes to weekends and socializing, I become downright ascetic in my daily food choices. A typical day has a green smoothie for breakfast (fruit + greens, think Odwalla's "Superfood"), massaged kale salad with avocado for lunch, quinoa (with sauerkraut!) for dinner. Snacks are fruit or nuts/seeds. Eating this way seems to keep me fit and energized even when operating on sleep deprivation and zero exercise for months on end.
My roommate has seen me in my hippie-food frenzy in the kitchen: quinoa on the stove, kale being washed, torn and spun, kombucha happily fermenting in the oven. It is actually at her entreaty that I am now blogging about my kale-massaging techniques. The basic idea is that instead of steaming, blanching, or sauteeing your greens, you can keep all the nutritive value intact by consuming them raw. Massaging with olive oil softens them up so they have more of a tender cooked-like quality. Dark leafy greens are so nutritionally potent that I would recommend eating them regardless of their preparation method, yet I actually enjoy the flavor of uncooked greens even more. Cooked greens now seem to me flaccid and wimpy compared with my robust olive-oil glistened little gems.
Dark leafy greens are the most nutritionally dense food in the plant kingdom (or the animal one, for that matter). One calorie of kale actually has more protein than a calorie of steak! I've heard raw foodists who consume a lot of greens rave about the super-human feeling they impart. I try to set a goal of eating greens with 2 out of 3 meals a day.
Image stolen from internet, but it's prettier than my tupperware-bound salad.
Here is my basic recipe for Massaged Kale Salad:
Ingredients
One head kale (green or red curly, or dino/lacinato)
One head collard greens (or two heads kale, but I like mixing it up - I don't like to do all collards because I think kale has a better flavor, chard is also a possibility but again I think kale has the best flavor)
Olive Oil
Further condiments/dressing of your choice
How To
1. Wash/rinse both heads of greens
2. Kale is annoying to chop because it's so curly, so I just tear the leaves from the stem and then tear the leaves into little pieces
3. Collards are more compatible with knives, I lay the collard leaf flat, slice out the stem, fold in half, roll up and chiffonade them.
3. Throw in salad spinner if you have one, you can also pat dry with a towel, or use the pillow case technique: put your wet greens in an old clean pillow case and start swinging it around as you spray your kitchen and any innocent bystanders with water.
4. Put the greens in a BIG bowl, drizzle with olive oil (maybe a tablespoon?) and then get to work!
5. With both hands squeeze and massage the heck out of your greens, I would say maybe 3-5 minutes. You'll see when they start to soften and with good quality olive oil they will emit the most wonderful fruity/grassy scent.
This is now the basis for any other dressing you want to incorporate. I usually do an Asian-style dressing with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and apple cider vinegar. Then I throw in various veggies, could be grated carrots, cucumber, sauerkraut, or even fruit or berries. Top with seeds (I like hemp, see told you I was a hippie) or nuts, or leftover meat if you like, and then right before I eat it I'll chop up an avocado and throw it in. The fantastic thing about dark leafy greens is that they are so sturdy you can dress them ahead of time and they'll be good for a couple days. You could also do Greek-style and squeeze some lemon juice over them (they already have olive oil, remember?) and top with olives, tomatoes, cucumber and feta. Or get creative! My roommate made a batch with berries and almonds.
Remember, everyone loves a good massage!
My roommate has seen me in my hippie-food frenzy in the kitchen: quinoa on the stove, kale being washed, torn and spun, kombucha happily fermenting in the oven. It is actually at her entreaty that I am now blogging about my kale-massaging techniques. The basic idea is that instead of steaming, blanching, or sauteeing your greens, you can keep all the nutritive value intact by consuming them raw. Massaging with olive oil softens them up so they have more of a tender cooked-like quality. Dark leafy greens are so nutritionally potent that I would recommend eating them regardless of their preparation method, yet I actually enjoy the flavor of uncooked greens even more. Cooked greens now seem to me flaccid and wimpy compared with my robust olive-oil glistened little gems.
Dark leafy greens are the most nutritionally dense food in the plant kingdom (or the animal one, for that matter). One calorie of kale actually has more protein than a calorie of steak! I've heard raw foodists who consume a lot of greens rave about the super-human feeling they impart. I try to set a goal of eating greens with 2 out of 3 meals a day.
Image stolen from internet, but it's prettier than my tupperware-bound salad.
Here is my basic recipe for Massaged Kale Salad:
Ingredients
One head kale (green or red curly, or dino/lacinato)
One head collard greens (or two heads kale, but I like mixing it up - I don't like to do all collards because I think kale has a better flavor, chard is also a possibility but again I think kale has the best flavor)
Olive Oil
Further condiments/dressing of your choice
How To
1. Wash/rinse both heads of greens
2. Kale is annoying to chop because it's so curly, so I just tear the leaves from the stem and then tear the leaves into little pieces
3. Collards are more compatible with knives, I lay the collard leaf flat, slice out the stem, fold in half, roll up and chiffonade them.
3. Throw in salad spinner if you have one, you can also pat dry with a towel, or use the pillow case technique: put your wet greens in an old clean pillow case and start swinging it around as you spray your kitchen and any innocent bystanders with water.
4. Put the greens in a BIG bowl, drizzle with olive oil (maybe a tablespoon?) and then get to work!
5. With both hands squeeze and massage the heck out of your greens, I would say maybe 3-5 minutes. You'll see when they start to soften and with good quality olive oil they will emit the most wonderful fruity/grassy scent.
This is now the basis for any other dressing you want to incorporate. I usually do an Asian-style dressing with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and apple cider vinegar. Then I throw in various veggies, could be grated carrots, cucumber, sauerkraut, or even fruit or berries. Top with seeds (I like hemp, see told you I was a hippie) or nuts, or leftover meat if you like, and then right before I eat it I'll chop up an avocado and throw it in. The fantastic thing about dark leafy greens is that they are so sturdy you can dress them ahead of time and they'll be good for a couple days. You could also do Greek-style and squeeze some lemon juice over them (they already have olive oil, remember?) and top with olives, tomatoes, cucumber and feta. Or get creative! My roommate made a batch with berries and almonds.
Remember, everyone loves a good massage!
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