kale, it's what's for dinner, tonight!

Since I have been working at the Diabetes and Nutrition Center at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, AL I have been trying to brainstorm different vegetables to tell my patients about. If you have diabetes, you can have pretty much all the "non-startchy" vegetables you can think of, so I have been racking my brain for new ideas. Well, I have heard a lot about KALE and since my mother has always been an anti-green cooking person (ie.collards, turnips, mustards, etc) I have always shied away from things like that. I overheard some people talking about kale chips, so I decided to pick some kale up from Kroger (my second love) and give it a shot. I went online and found different recipes and they are pretty much all the same. Here is what I did:

Pulled leaves away from the stem, washed and dried in a salad spinner...

Spread the leaves out on a cookie sheet with a silpat (or parchment paper), and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

 THEN salt and pepper. I also added a little sugar and cajun spice. It is very important to add the spices AFTER they cook so that they do not become soggy! 

YUM!

I also sautéed  the other half of the bunch. I chopped about 1/2 cup of onion, sautéed the onions for about 5 minutes, added the kale with garlic cooked for 1 minute, added 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Covered with the lid and allowed to cook for about 5 minutes. It was very good!

Kale is a very healthy vegetable. It is low in calories (35 calories for 1 cup), high in vitamins A, C and K, calcium, and potassium. I hope you enjoy!