My love for kale started shortly after being diagnosed with the rare neurological condition called, chiari brain malformation. I ended up researching and reading many health related nutrition books that really sparked my interest in all things food related. I have listed one below for anyone who would like to read it. During this time my main goal was to manage all symptoms! Eventually over time, my symptoms continued and kept spiraling out of control however I believe that the balance with both diet and supplements did help as a buffer and helped me with my recovery post filum sectioning and aided in the brain and body healing. I’m posting a kale salad recipe that is from Angela Liddon’s, Oh She Glows Cookbook and website https://ohsheglows.com! Literally one of my most favourite recipes and helped get me through some hard times! I truly believe that eating leafy greens, salads and vegetable is greatly aided by complementing it with amazing dressings and this one really got me addicted to kale and eating healthy! This one is easy to make and tastes delicious! It’s anti inflammatory and vegan!
Here it is:
Ingredients
For the Pecan Parmesan
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted (I toast them in a toaster oven but you can also use the oven)
- 1 1/2 tsps nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 to 3 tsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Dressing:
- 3 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsps +1 tsp fresh lemon juice (which is about 1/2 a lemon)
- 2 Tbsps pure maple syrup (if you are conscious about your sugar intake you can do 1/2 to 1 Tbsps, will still taste great!)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsps unsweetened applesauce (I’m going to say this is optional as I leave it out most times and love the results without it)
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh peel ginger (again this would be optional or can have less of it and have enjoyed the salad)
To Assemble
- 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 apple, cored and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 pomegranate arils
PREPARATION
Make the Pecan Parmesan: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
In a mini food processor combine the toasted pecans, nutritional yeast, oil, and salt and process until crumbly and combined. Set aside. Alternatively you can chop the toasted pecans and stir into the nutritional yeast, oil and salt mix and blend it.
Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, oil, applesauce, and ginger until combined.
To assemble the salad, place the kale in a large salad bowl pour on the dressing. With your hands, massage the dressing into the kale leaves until fully coated. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. The kale will soften slightly during this time.
Top the kale with apple, cranberries, and pomegranate arils. Sprinkle the Pecan Parmesan over the salad just before serving.
Recipe yields 4-6 servings
Anti inflammatory books that I recommend anyone to read!
The Wahls protocol and the The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life https://terrywahls.com/the-wahls-protocol/
