P
Dorset
L E N T Y
The Vital Ingredi ent:
Kale
Want to cut back on the calories after Christmas? Tom East suggests
some great ways to cook with the most super of superfoods.
A
8
Chicken noodle broth
with kale, mushrooms
and ginger
ccording to estimates, we eat 7,000 calories on Christmas Day
alone. Sounds a lot, but add it all up. Did you have a fry-up for
breakfast? Glass of Bucks Fizz? Don’t mind if I do. Maybe you
grazed on nuts before the turkey, those little sausages wrapped
in bacon, stuffing, roasties and the rest. Then you’ve got the Christmas
pudding, cheese and crackers, and don’t forget to leave room for some
Christmas cake. It’s no wonder so many people turn to superfoods in
the New Year, and not many foods are more super than kale.
Kale is virtually fat free and low in calories – more importantly, it’s a
great source of vitamin K, A and C, and because it’s more flavoursome
after being exposed to frost, now is the best time to eat it. With so few
green vegetables in season in January, if you want to lose the festive flab,
you really can’t ignore this brilliant brassica.
If you want to eat healthily, breakfast is the place to start – a good
brekkie should fill you up so you don’t have to snack before lunch, and
the increasingly popular crushed avocado on toast should give you
enough energy to get you through the morning. Top it with a poached
egg for your protein and sprinkle with kale crisps to add slight bitterness
and an extra-crunchy texture. Never made kale crisps? Simply bake the
kale in the oven with a touch of olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper and
chilli flakes for 10 minutes. If you really want to go all out, try a kale
smoothie, but do throw in some sweet stuff to make it less astringent –
bananas, apples, blueberries, even peanut butter.
Kale naysayers will point out that it can be bitter, which is why it’s
good paired with sweet sauces. Try a vegetable teriyaki, stir-frying
kale, mushrooms and onion, before adding a dark soy, ginger, garlic and
honey sauce. Serve with egg-fried rice.
Many people desire something a bit hearty and warming this season,
but you can still do that healthily. This month’s recipe – chicken broth
with kale, ginger and udon noodles – fits the bill. Of course, if you have
no desire to diet in the New Year, you could make the Irish classic
colcannon, mixing steamed kale with mashed potato. Serve with a
whopping great pie or sausages, and forget about the calories.
Ingredients
1tbsp sunflower oil
2 chicken legs
2 handfuls (around 100g) kale
150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
into matchsticks
1 red chilli, finely chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 litre chicken stock
1 packet of udon noodles
1 tbsp soy sauce
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the
chicken legs. Cook until lightly brown.
2. Add the mushrooms, and cook until they’re
slightly brown, too. Next, throw in the ginger, spring
onions, chilli and crushed garlic cloves. Cook for a
couple of minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and
simmer for 25-30 minutes. Remove the chicken.
4. Take the meat off the chicken and throw it back
into the broth. Add the noodles and soy. When the
noodles are cooked, serve in big bowls.
Know Your Kale
It’s full of good stuff,
so make it your friend.
The Right Stuff
Buy the leafy kale for kale crisps
rather than the bags of shredded
kale you get in the supermarket.
Green Giant
There are many different styles
of kale, including the dark Italian
leafy brassica cavolo nero.
Drink Up
Kale has 17 times the amount of
vitamin C than a carrot.
Try it in a smoothie
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
Once You Pop
Kale chips are very moreish. Like
pringles, you could eat a whole
bowl in one go.