Mushroom, Onion & Garlic Kale

My absolute favorite vegetable these days is Kale! I never heard of it, much less tasted it before going vegan, boy was I missing something amazing!

Kale is an amazing powerhouse antioxidant cruciferous vegetable. I use the leaves raw in salad or fruit smoothies everyday. You can quickly sauté the greens and use them as a base for your meal instead of pasta or rice. You can toss torn leaves into your tofu scramble for the last 5 minutes to steam them and add a mega dose of calcium, iron, vitamin A, C, K and more!

Kale's risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.

Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body's detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale's glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level.

Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale's flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Kale is an excellent source of vitamins. Just one cup contains 547mcg of Vitamin K, or 684 percent DV, 10,302 IU of vitamin A, or 206 percent DV. It also contains 0.2mg of vitamin B6, or 9 percent DV, 19.4mcg of folate, or 5 percent DV, 0.1mg of thiamin, or 5 percent DV and 0.1mg of riboflavin, or 5 percent DV. Other vitamins in kale include niacin and pantothenic acid. Kale is a rich source of manganese, with 0.5mg, or 26 percent DV; copper, with 0.2mg, or 10 percent DV; potassium, with 299.5mg, or 9 percent DV; calcium, with 90.5mg, or 9 percent DV. Other minerals between 4 and 6 percent DV each include iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Calories in one cup of raw kale total 34, or 2 percent DV. Carbohydrates account for 24.2 calories. Protein makes up 5.4 calories and the remaining calories come from fat.

Read more on the healthful benefits of Kale:

http://www.livestrong.com/

article/
250505-kale-nutrition-information/#ixzz1fJMJbWyH

http://www.whfoods.com/

genpage.php?tname=foodspice
&dbid=38

Mushroom Garlic Kale

Ingredients:

4 cups ORGANIC kale, washed, stem removed, and torn into 1" pieces

1 cup sliced crimini (baby portabella) mushrooms

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons water cooking wine

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat your water or cooking wine over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, & onions and sauté for several minutes until they are tender and onion are translucent. (Or continue to cook low and slow until the onions carmelize, yummm!) Salting during cooking helps the mushrooms release their savory juices. Add your kale, cover, and steam for about 5 minutes until the kale is bright green. Serve immediately.

And that's it! See how easy it is being green? (sorry, Kermit, I had to!)