Vegan day 74: Kale Confetti Salad with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
The book CLEAN FOOD by Terry Walters was a wonderful gift for me this past Christmas from a good friend of mine. “Clean Food“– this concept as Terry explains it is really the closest way of life that I have found so far to my “Healthatarian” concept. Clean Food is about eating for nutrition in a simple, clean, organic, local, seasonal and sustainable way… and the kicker is.. it just happens to be vegan. My goal of becoming a “healthy vegan” is really all about health.. in a manner that doesn’t cause any harm to animals as well. If it can be done.. and you can be healthy and save animals and the planet– hey WHY NOT? With education in any form– comes responsibility. I am aggressively studying holistic nutrition and yes I want to share what I have learned. If you feel like learning a little bit more about a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle in every which way- check out this fun movie “Get Vegucated”. Since I do not know many vegans (aww)- I have reached out on TWITTER to see whats going on and maybe form some connections. From Twitter, I caught information that Terry Walters was going to be at the Tribeca Whole Foods – so I went to meet her, hear her speak and watch her cook. She prepared this kale salad so I had to make it. What was interesting here was this massage effect of the ingredients with the kale. If you could learn to love kale- it’s one of the healthiest vegetables for sure! The demonstration bowl of kale was over the top. The “virgo” in me was looking like how on earth are you going to add all those ingredients and not spill anything- not that I’m not I messy cook- because I SO AM!! She didn’t make a mess however and the kale did surprising give in to the message- pretty cool– and off the hook!
This recipe is from Terry’s second book called CLEAN START.
Raw Kale Confetti Salad with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
This is the original recipe:
2 bunches of kale (4 heaping cups)
2T extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
1t fresh grated ginger
1/2 avocado
3T chopped onions
3T red bell peppers
1 carrot chopped
3T sunflower seeds
1T lemon juice
1T lime juice
During the demonstration, Terry used white cannelloni beans- that would have been nice but I only had pink kidney beans so I used those instead. I also used way more avocado- probably too much. I have a bunch of avocados in my refrigerator so I thought I would use them. I am beginning to think I get paid in part– in avocados lol. I was complaining one day on Facebook about the price and now when I go to work, I get avocado gifts here and there lol- life is good! I also added extra lime juice. I put my gloves on and massaged away- when the olive oil and avocado massage into the kale it makes for a nice consistency, dressing and taste. Try it! Add the beans last- no massage for them!
Once again, the benefits of kale are:
- Excellent source of vitamin K (1327% RDA)
- Excellent source of vitamin A (192% RDA)
- Great source of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber
- Good source of copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6, potassium, iron and magnesium
- High concentration of sulfur compounds (sulforaphane and isothiocyanates), “which increase the liver’s ability to produce enzymes that neutralize potentially toxic substances” (Mateljan 2007)
- Rich in powerful phytonutrient antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin and carotenoids
- Super low in calories
References:
Mateljan, G. 2007. The World’s Healthiest Foods. Seattle. Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating. WA: GMF Publishing
Walters, T. 2010. Clean Start. Inspiring You to Eat Clean and Live Well. New York, NY: Sterling Epicure
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
[Wednesday 14th 2012 blog]
[Wednesday 14th 2012 blog]
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