Kale for Salads.

​As mentioned in my last posting, one trick about sticking to making salad lunches for the week ahead -- is to doing the entire week's shopping during the weekends. Hence, a few hours earlier, right after my gym, I decided to head down to GIANT to do my usual salad shopping. I ended up buying these items: 

1. Broccoli - they were going for a discount. Broccoli is usually expensive, hence when they are discounted it's always good to buy! Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, chromium and folate. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium and copper.
2. Green Apples - Bought 5 green apples. Could use them for salads or as fruits after salads. 
3. Baby potatoes - Potatoes are exceedingly rich in Vitamin B6, a substance needed for cellular renewal, a healthy nervous system and a balanced mood. 
   
4. Red chilies - for that added spice! 
   
5. Iceberg - the salad staple. 
   
6. Frozen chicken breast - the other protein staple.
7. Coriander - Coriander or cilantro is a wonderful source of dietary fiber, manganese, iron and magnesium as well. I got it mainly as for it's flavour. 

A common problem with the local supermarkets of Singapore it's actually a very limited variety of vegetables to choose from. However, at Giant this afternoon, I chanced upon a packet of Australian kale going for only $5.99 per packet. 

How to prepare Kale? 

While kale salads are full of nutrients and fiber, making kale worthy of its status as a super-vegetable, it is not always easy to prepare kale. The last time I bought some kale for my salad, I had a hard time finishing the salad that I prepared. 

Hence, I learned some useful tips to make kale a lot more delicious and edible in my salads: 

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1. Separate the ribs! The ribs of the kale are tough, and hence it makes perfect sense to remove the ribs from the leaves. You can easily slice and separate the ribs from the leaves with a knife. Don't throw the ribs away - while it is difficult to use them in your salads, you can use the ribs in many other areas. Or process them into kale juice! 
2. Tear up the kale. Use your hands to tear the kale leaves into smaller bite-sized pieces. This will make it easier to eat them. 
3. Sprinkle and mix with salt. You can put the kale leaves into a plastic bag, and then sprinkle salt into the packet. This will help cut down the bitter taste of the kale leaves). 
4. Massage the kale. You can then put your hand into the plastic bag to massage the kale leaves. This will help make the leaves more tender, but also help to spread the salt evenly. 
5. Keep the packet in the fridge. The kale leaves are tough leaves, and should be able to hold in the fridge for a couple of days. 

Hence, the next time you are able to find kale at your supermarket, and going at a reasonable price, do consider it! Kale's antioxidant nutrients, as well as its anti-inflammatory nutrients, and then, also its anti-cancer nutrients (glucosinolates) might not only promote good health, but potentially help slow down ageing! 
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