Kale is such a delight. Before we moved to Sydney I had never heard of Kale before. I’m pretty sure you couldn’t get it in Austria two years ago, or at least I have never seen it in a shop before. Maybe it made it’s way there by now, but I got introduced to it here in Australia. I mean, of course we do have some sort of cabbage in Austria but just not the curly leaved one kale you can find here. In Sydney you get it everywhere. They sell it in form of salads, chips, soups, smoothies, juices, sautéed as a side dish and so on. So, what exactly is this trendy super food everyone loves at the moment?

Kale or borecole is a vegetable with green or purple leaves which belongs to the same species (Brassica oleracea) as broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. It’s considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms of vegetables and it’s widely cultivated across Europe, Japan and the United States. There are definitely a lot of benefits of adding kale to your diet:

• high in iron (cellular oxidation and red blood cell formation)
• low in calorie, high in fiber, zero fat (1 cup has 36 calories, 5 g of fiber and 0 g of fat)
• rich in vitamin K (anti-cancer, normal bone health, Alzheimer’s disease treatment)
• filled with powerful antioxidants (anti-cancer)
• anti-inflammatory
• can lower cholesterol level
• vitamin A (vision, skin, anti-cancer)
• high in vitamin C (helpful for your immune system, your metabolism and your hydration)
• high in calcium (kale has more calcium than milk)
• great detox food

So we know now that kale dishes are packed with nutrients and fiber – no wonder I feel like Wonder Woman after I eat a giant bowl of kale salad. Here’s just one of many ways to eat kale.

         Ingredients: (Serves 3)

• 1/2 a cauliflower, floreted
• 1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced
• 2 cups kale, washed
• 1/2 a block of feta cheese
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place the cauliflower into a food processor (or blender) and process until it has the consistency of couscous.
2. Tear small pieces off the kale stems, discarding the stems and placing the leaves into a bowl.
3. Add the cauliflower “couscous” and the sliced cabbage to the bowl and crumble the feta cheese on top.
4. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil onto the salad, add salt and pepper and top with the toasted walnuts.