Shredded Kale w Almonds

Kale ... aah!!! I still don't believe how much my body craves it after going without it ... even every couple of days. I had one bunch in the fridge already and I bought another bunch of dinosaur kale and a box of baby kale at the store last night. I hadn't had any kale at all in the last couple of weeks as I was travelling on business and kale isn't big on restaurant menus ;) so I was feeling greedy. I decided to adjust/modify my previous Garlicky Kale recipe to make it easier to eat. In the past, whenever I've made kale I've simply torn the stems away from the leaves and used is as it - coarsely torn and in some pretty large pieces. Unfortunately that makes it a rather 'ungraceful' dish to eat. 

Shredded Kale w Slivered Almonds

So today, I decided to shred my kale to make a more 'eater-friendly' version. Shredding salads and greens has definite nutritional advantages over eating them whole. While the act of chewing the leaves does help breakdown the cell walls, none of us really chew as well as we should, and often portions of leaves are swallowed whole. Fresh shredding of greens, and even other veggies (i.e. its not the same as buying shredded lettuce of cabbage), allows us to cut and expose a lot more of the cellular contents and that releases lot of enzymes and nutrients that may otherwise not be readily released. 

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients (2 Servings):

1. 2 cups fresh Kale
2. 2 tbsp Slivered Almonds
3. 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
4. 2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
5. 1 tsp Deggi Chilli Powder
6. Salt, to taste
7. 1/4 cup water, as needed.

Directions:

Shredded Kale

Wash kale well to remove any dirt and then remove the thick stems. Using a food processor (shredder or slicer attachment) shred kale just before you're ready to prepare this dish. Because some of the enzymes and nutrients exposed by shredding can be labile to oxygen or air ... you will lose nutritional value while it sits on the counter after shredding. In a skillet on medium heat, add a thin layer of water, and add garlic, red pepper flakes and deggi chilli powder. Mix well and once garlic is fragrant, add shredded kale and slivered almonds. Toss well. Add a splash of water and cover and allow to simmer on very low heat. Stir every few minutes (adding splashes of water, as needed to prevent drying) until the leaves turn dark and wilt. Serve warm as a side dish. Garnish with hot sauce (I used Cholula).  

My Assessment: Loved it even more than my original recipe and this was so much more easy to eat!!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving with Almonds): Calories 81 (Fat Calories 34)
Total Fat 3.8 g; Carbohydrates 10.7 g; Dietary Fiber 2.7 g; Sugars 0.6 g; Protein 4.0 g