Kale has unsurpassed health benefits and is a giant when it comes to protecting our DNA from the damage caused by free radicals. The phytonutrients disarm free radicals before they can damage DNA.  It is my number one vegetable to never be without. Lacinato or dino kale has at least 2 x more sulforaphane than regular kale so seek it out.

This recipe was adapted from one that a great friend passed along to me and will make you a kale fan for sure with its fantastic flavor.  While it is a raw salad remember that the lemon will break it down and tenderize it.                                     -To your good health, Lee Newlin  October, 2009

Ingredients for salad

1 bunch cleaned Lacinato kale, stalks removed by stripping them out (like we worked on in class)

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (always use evoo for salads and cool foods-it maintains the vitamin E in the oil)

2 tbsp. fresh lemon or orange juice

½  Celtic salt (this is full of minerals) and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup

1 very ripe champagne or regular mango, diced OR 1 cup or more of frozen mango slightly thawed

I ripe avocado diced (handle gently as not to mush the dice)

¼ cup lightly toasted macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds or walnuts.  Don’t over cook them.

1 cup coconut shredded

Directions for salad

On a large cutting board chiffanade (slice very thinly around 1/4 inch) the de-stemmed kale leaves or just tear them into small bite sized pieces then toss into a large bowl.

Over the kale drizzle 2 T of the oil, citrus juice and salt. With your hands rub the kale for a few minutes until you notice that it is beginning to soften.  This is what breaks down any toughness of the kale.  I love to use baby kale as it is tender.  Cover bowl and set aside for a few hours or refrigerate overnight.
When ready to assemble, gently toss the mango, coconut,  honey and nuts.  Taste as you go, adding more olive oil, salt or lemon as you feel is needed- just don’t make it too oily.  Scatter avocado over the top and serve.

This beautiful salad deserves a crystal bowl to show off in! It is always a hit for a picnic, luncheon or family gathering. With such a delicious blend of flavors and incredible nutrition it will be a “go to” recipe for you on many occasions. You could switch out the asparagus for avocado and added shrimp will create an entree dish.

1 garlic clove, minced
3T. sherry vinegar or lemon juice
1t. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil

21/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups dry Israeli couscous (it is the larger style couscous) or for gluten free 2 cups cooked al dente lentils
2 cups sliced pieces of fresh asparagus
1 large English unpeeled seedless cucumber diced (It is wrapped in plastic, dark green)
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 large chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup mint leaves minced
1 cup feta cheese crumbled (omit for vegan)

Whisk the garlic, vinegar or lime, mustard and oil together until thick and set aside.

In a medium pot of boiling water blanch asparagus for 2 minutes then plunge in ice water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In the same pan bring broth to a rolling boil, add couscous and reduce heat after returning to a boil. Over a very low heat and covered, simmer couscous for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Once couscous is done place in large bowl and let cool for 30 minutes. To expedite cooling, toss with two large spoons until slightly warm.
Gently toss the reserved dressing and remaining ingredients into couscous. Sprigs of fresh mint on top looks beautiful!
Serve at room temperature.

This is a favorite vegetable dish that we love to serve in early spring or fall when the Lacinato kale is just coming in.  It is especially delicious in the winter months as well.  The hot dressing slightly wilts without cooking so you get tons of nutrient dense vegetables. Chilling lets the flavors develop. Serve as a main vegetarian course, or use instead of lettuce to top a great sandwich. Other greens to choose from for this recipe would include fresh and tender Swiss chard, beet greens, or collards.  Your family will fall in love with this outstanding nutritional meal.  Serves six

Vegetables

2 big bunches tender kale greens, tough stems removed

1 large carrot, grated (1½ cup)

1 daikon or enough red radishes, grated to make 1 ½ cup

1 medium red onion, grated (1 cup) or 4 green onions thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

Dressing

½ cup rice vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar

¼  cup honey

¼ cup organic canola or grape seed oil

1 tsp. powdered mustard

1 tsp. celery seed

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

1) Slice the clean kale leaves into thin strips and transfer to large bowl. Stir in carrots, daikon, onion, and bell pepper.  Set aside.

2. Whisk together vinegar, honey, oil, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper in small saucepan, and bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, and pour this mixture over the kale and vegetable mixture. Stir to coat vegetables with dressing. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and chill 4 hours or overnight.

-To your good health, Lee Newlin

Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, Calif.

This great dish packs a lot of punch in protection from cancer.  Kale is, in my book,  the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food I serve my family.  It is loaded with all of the good and none of the bad, ranking highest for nutritional density on the ANDI scale of 1,000 , and should be a mainstay in your daily diet.  You’ll soon learn that kale is teeming with everything that will help you to fight cancer and make and keep you healthy: water, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals all come to the rescue to take your health to the next level.  If I could make a suggestion to those of you who are fighting this horrible disease….eat kale three to five times a week if you can.  I am a huge fan of this amazing vegetable and give it quite a bit of credit for helping me in finding  good health again.  Enough of the bragging about kale…this dish is delicious!    -Stay healthy and eat your greens, Lee

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes, boiled, cubed and keep warm in a bowl

6 T. extra virgin olive oil divided

1 medium onion diced

1 bunch lacinato or dinosaur black kale, remove stems, chop leaves into bite size pieces (this is the kale to buy.  It has the highest cancer fighting sulforaphane  content of all the cruciferous veggies)

1/2 of a totally red bell pepper diced (is loaded with vitamin C)

1-2 cloves  minced fresh  garlic

2 T. champagne white wine vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is a good brand)

2 T. fresh organic lemon juice (the zest would be great in this if you are a lemon lover)

¼ – ½ t. fresh tarragon

1 thinly sliced green onion

1 Tablespoon of fresh parsley minced

Directions

Sauté the onions over medium heat  in 1 T. of the olive oil for a few minutes.

Then add the kale, red pepper and garlic sautéing until till just tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Whisk  in a bowl the vinegar, lemon juice, tarragon and rest of the olive oil salt and pepper to taste.

Add warm kale mix to warm potatoes,  then add half of the dressing and toss.  It is important to do this while everything is still hot , to soak in the flavors.   Add more dressing to your taste, salt, pepper or tarragon if needed.    Toss in green onion and parsley.  Serve warm.

Serves 8

Our family loves this salad. We use basil for the fresh herb, and all agree that it is perfect.

Ingredients

8 cups 1/2 inch chunks seedless watermelon

Approximately 2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, assorted colors, cored, cut into bite sized chunks (about 4 cups)

1 teaspoon sea salt

5 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic or blood orange vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (dill, basil and mint are nice)

Black pepper and salt, to taste

8 cups fresh arugula leaves or other tender lettuces like Boston or mescalin mix

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup roughly chopped pine nuts, almonds, walnuts or pistachios lightly toasted to retain nutrients

1 perfectly ripe, peeled, pitted and sliced avocado

Directions

In a large colander over a sink combine watermelon and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and lightly toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes to drain.

In a large bowl add 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.

In a medium bowl toss salad greens of choice  with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Divide  among plates. Top with melon salad;

sprinkle with feta cheese, arrange avocado slices and nuts and serve.

This salad dressing is loaded with good things that make all the difference in a fresh from the garden salad.  It is a snap to do and so economical.  Just compare these ingredients to those in a bottle.  You won’t find words that you can’t pronounce in this recipe!  Your body will thank you.

1/2 c canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (use your favorite for optimum flavor)
2  cloves garlic
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth, just a few seconds.  Let it come to room temperature for best flavor.

Serves 4

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a grain; it is actually a seed and related to the spinach family. It is close to one of the most complete foods in nature because it contains all 9 amino acids, enzymes, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. It is easily digested and is a high-energy grain. It contains more calcium than milk and can even help balance your blood sugar. Quinoa is gluten-free and safe for those who are on a celiac diet. While being especially easy to cook, it can be enjoyed year-round because it’s versatile, light, fluffy, slightly crunchy and subtly flavored. We love it!

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried quinoa
1¼ cups vegetable broth or water
Pinch of sea salt

1/3-cup dried cranberries or cherries chopped
¼ cup walnuts or almonds chopped

2 cups cooked black beans
1 very ripe mango, peeled and sliced away from pit,then diced
2 stalks celery, diced
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 large Romaine lettuce leaves

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup apricot or mango nectar or juice
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium sized saucepan, combine the quinoa, salt pinch and vegetable broth then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Once done add walnuts, cranberries or cherries and allow them to steam covered for 5 minutes off heat.

Place beans, mango, celery, green onions and salt in a large bowl. Fluff cooled quinoa with a fork and add to bowl. Gently combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for vinaigrette. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Taste for extra lime or salt and add.
Serve over lettuce leaves.

Nutritional Information:
300 calories~20.8 g protein~30g carbs~3.7g fiber

It is so exciting when the first asparagus, green peas and sugar snaps of the season start showing up in the markets. After a long cold winter we are all ready for something that is truly healthy and definitely Spring!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Israeli couscous or semi-pearled farro, bulgar or whole wheat or spelt berries, pearled barley or orzo Cook to package directions slightly al dente
1 bunch of asparagus (around 12 ounces) trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 cup fresh or frozen garden green peas
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced green onions
6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 tablespoons dried
1 8-ounce package feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup lightly toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
fresh minced parsley
fresh lettuces cleaned and torn into bite sized pieces

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons Champagne or sherry wine vinegar

Directions

Cook cous cous in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Scoop out pasta and transfer to large bowl. Save hot water.
In the same pasta pot return water to a rolling boil. Briefly cook asparagus, peas and sugar snaps in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Add to cous cous immediately with tomatoes, onion, and dill. Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Season dressing with fresh black pepper. Add dressing, pine nuts, parsley, olives and feta to salad; toss to coat and serve over spring lettuces. You could add shrimp or chicken if you like. Thinly sliced fennel is marvelous in this salad

This salad could stand in all by itself as a nutritional and flavor packed entree. The miso dressing is incredible and we love to serve it to company or on our “Friday Night Dinner Date” with each other. Just a beautiful salad inside and out.

4-6 servings.

Dressing
• ¼ cup brown rice vinegar
• 1 ½ T light miso
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1T honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ t. sea salt

Vegetables
• 3 T. dried hijiki sea vegetables
• 16 oz shelled frozen edamame beans
• ½ daikon peeled
• 1 carrot peeled
• 4 handfuls baby spinach, arugula, mixed greens
• 15 oz can drained and rinsed soy beans

• In a medium bowl whisk all ingredients for the dressing till emulsified. Set aside
• Rehydrate hijiki in hot water 10 mins till double in size. Drain water off. Defrost beans and mix with hijiki and season with salt
• Using peeler make a pile of long shavings from daikon and carrot then cut into matchstick thin pieces.
• Wash greens and dry well. Toss with hijiki, edamame, vegetables, beans. By spoonfuls drip dressing on this until lightly coated but not drowning. Serve on a large platter of greens or in pretty bowl.