Kale salad- Who knew an anti-inflammatory could be this delicious!

recipe for kale salad with avocado and apple

ingredients:

*1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and coarsely chopped

*1 ripe avocado, diced

*sea salt and freshly ground pepper

*1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced

*3 tablespoons olive oil

*1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin half moons

*1 small, green apple, sliced thin

*1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced

*1 large handful of raw or toasted pine nuts (or toasted almonds)

*1 handful of dulse flakes- optional

*1 handful fresh mint, chopped- optional

directions:

1. Place kale in a large bowl with the avocado. Add salt, garlic, and olive oil. Mix very well, "massaging" the greens for about 3 minutes.

2. Reserve a small handful of the carrot and apple slices for garnish, then gently fold the rest into the kale mixture with the scallion, pine nuts, dulse flakes, and mint. Taste and season with additional sea salt, if necessary (the dulse is salty, so it be careful you don't add too much)

Kale is highly nutritious, has powerful antioxidant properties, and is anti-inflammatory. One cup of cooked kale contains an astounding 1,328 percent of the RDA for vitamin K, 192 percent of the RDA for vitamin A, and 89 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. It's also a good source of calcium and iron.

Kale is in the same plant family as broccoli and cabbage, and, like its cruciferous cousins, it contains high levels of the cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane, which guards against prostate, gastric, skin, and breast cancers by boosting the body's detoxification enzymes and fighting free radicals in the body. The indoles in kale have been shown to protect against breast, cervical, and colon cancers. The vitamin K in kale promotes blood clotting, protects the heart, and helps build strong bones by anchoring calcium to the bone. It also has more antioxidant power than spinach, protecting against free-radical damage. Kale is extra rich in beta-carotene (containing seven times as much as does broccoli), lutein, and zeaxanthin (ten times the amount in broccoli). In Chinese medicine, kale is used to help ease lung congestion.