This is a very quick and easy uncooked vegetable dish which I really like.  With some protein like fish, meat, a frittata/omelette or a bean salad it provides a balanced meal.  Unless you have tons of energy to pound away for ages with your hands, make this recipe using smallish sprigs of young kale (April-June) – it’s much easier to work.  As you might have noticed I’ve got a bit of a green theme going on this month.  The power of vegetables to lift your wellbeing is big in food research right now (see my May 2014 newsletter).  In my opinion, eating lots of green stuff is one of the most useful things you can do to help your body and your mind.

For 2-3 people:

1 bag tender young organic kale
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½-1 ripe avocado
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbs sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds, chopped Brazil nuts or hazelnuts)
Lemon or lime  juice to taste
1/2 tsp paprika, or to taste
1 tbs finely sliced or chopped spring onions or red onion (if you can eat cooked onions but not raw ones, try soaking the sliced/chopped onion in the lemon or lime juice for 15 minutes – it totally takes the heat out!)

1. Remove any stalks from the washed kale and place in a large bowl.
2. Kneed, pound and squish the kale with your hands for around 5 minutes until it is wilted (you might like to use rubber gloves for this as the juice can stain your nails).
3. Add the avocado and mix it into the mixture, mashing as you do so.
4. Add all the other ingredients and serve.

Serve with:
Baked or grilled, roast or poached fish or chicken, a frittata or omelette or a beany salad

Why this is good for you:
Kale is high in folic acid which helps your body carry out the daily repair and maintenance on your stomach and intestines.  Kale, like all dark green veg, is rich in magnesium which is needed to relax your mind and get a good nights sleep.  Magnesium also helps keep your skin in good condition by supporting your liver to clear toxins out of the body.  Things like psoriasis or acne are usually a sign of poor liver function.  Avocados and raw olive oil are rich in vitamin E which moisturises your skin (and everything else) from within.  the reason I suggest using organic kale is that like baby spinach, “conventional” kale is in the top 3 most agri-chemical contaminated fresh produce.