This Weird Vegetable Has More Calcium Than Milk

Today we're in the kitchen with Kale... yep that's the weird, uber-green vegetable you usually avoid. 

Kale isn't just great to look at - it's also one of the healthiest  cruciferous vegetables... but what on earth do you do with it? At Bondi BUF, we feel that kale is totally under-appreciated, so today we wanted to give you a few tips to get you firmly on Team Kale.  And guess what? That lean green can taste damn good too!  Today, we share with you four great ways to eat your kale, so your cooking repertoire is up to scratch when it comes to this curly-leafed green.

The health benefits of Kale make it more than worth picking up and throwing in your trolley on your next trip to the supermarket. Don't be scared! We've got you covered! Kales benefits are so noteworthy they deserve a dot-point list:

• It has more nutritional power per calorie than nearly every other food on the planet.
• It is high in Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin A, helping to lower your blood pressure naturally, detoxing your organs and supporting your immune system.
• It is rich in fibre and antioxidants.  This will support your digestion, prevent constipation, lower blood sugars and alleviate overeating.  
• The abundance of powerful antioxidants in kale actually helps prevent cancerous cells.  
• The punch of Omega-3 fatty acids you get from just one cup of kale aids in the regulation of the bodies inflammatory process.
• It also contains calcium, iron and B1, B2 and B6.    
• One interesting fact to note is that we actually absorb nearly twice as much calcium from kale than we do from milk!         

Here are four recipes to get you kicking goals in the kitchen with Kale and on the way to awesome health!

1. Juice it...

Thanks to the lovely Connie Chapman of the blog "A Life of Perfect Days" for this one.  Simply juice a handful of kale, lemon, cucumber, ginger and an apple... done!

2. Kale Chips...

The healthiest version of chips EVER

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale (remove tough stems and tear into pieces)
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Optional lemon, tamari, sesame seeds 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 200C
• Wash thoroughly and towel dry
• Drizzle with oil and season with salt, massage in to leaves with hands till even
• Place on baking sheets and make sure leaves don't overlap
• Bake until most leaves are crisp, for about 8-12 minutes

3. Kale Omelette...

Use any vegetables you wish for this

Ingredients

• Coconut oil 
• Kale
• Spinach 
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Parsley 
• 2 eggs

Preparation 

• Sautee mushrooms and tomatoes in coconut oil
• Then add spinach and kale, allow to wilt
• Whisk two eggs with chopped parsley
• Pour egg mixture over vegetables 
• Cook until eggs are done

4. Kale and mushroom salad...

Ingredients

• 6 cups thinly sliced kale (about 1/2 large bunch), tough stems removed
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
• 2 slices organic turkey breast, chopped up 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

• Place kale and eggs in a large bowl.
• Add oil and onion to a hot pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 
• Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes more. 
• Remove from the heat and stir in vinegar, mustard, pepper and salt. 
• Pour the mushroom mixture over the kale and eggs. 
• Add the turkey and toss to combine.