Tis the Season to Forget Ones Greens

In the middle of a holiday where we are bombarded with sugar plums, candy canes, chocolate Santas, gingerbread men with their houses, and oodles of pies and cakes how do we make room for greens? I mean I will be honest with you, put a gingerbread village in front of me and I will demolish it into the ground taking no prisoners. (Oh I will, don't doubt this sweet tooth of mine combined with the bizarrely awful joy I feel when eating gingerbread men.) Who wants greens when there are sugary treats aplenty!

HAHAHA, bless this website for creating the vision I wanted to share http://kitchenscraps.ca/2008/12/15/run-run-as-fast-as-you-can/ 

Back to the greens... who thinks about them during the holidays? Your insides do! Dark leafy greens are so important to eat daily that I'm not sure there is any other way say it, but as I care about your insides I will try....

"Eat dark leafy greens for nutrients that your body needs to function."
"Want protein, grab a handful of spinach and shove it in your face"
"Think you are feeling a little anemic, eat kale asap and iron up. Kale has more iron than beef."
"I will personally go all gingerbread crazy on you if you don't eat your dark greens."

Hmmm... that last one was over the top... forgive me. I'm clearly in need of some dark greens right now. This sugar high wasn't the best plan right before typing. Quick look at this awesome article on kale: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/reasons-kale-is-the-new-beef-nutritious-sustainable.html

Check out that delicious feast of kale salad right there. Again, because I care for your insides so much I want you to have this recipe. It is so yummy that you won't mind if you take a break from gingerbread demolishing.

Citrus Tahini Warm Kale Salad

serves 4-6 people

gluten free

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond milk

1/3 cup shredded zucchini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves (pressed)

3-4 basil leaves

Salad Makings:

2 large bunches of kale (dinosaur kale is best)

3 cups shredded cabbage 

3 cups shredded carrot

1 small red onion (diced)

1 cup toasted pecans

Place all your dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend, blend away! Make sure everything is combined really well, and then set aside. 

Clean all your veggies and put them all in a really big bowl. Make sure all the kale is torn into delightful bite sized pieces. Now about that bowl, its going to need to be big to fit them all, so you may have to use two bowls depending. Don't worry, it looks like a lot of food but once you bake the kale it shrinks! With all the veggies in the bowl(s) pour your dressing all over! Then roll up your sleeves and really massage that dressing into the kale with your hands. Once you have massages the salad so that the dressing is evenly distributed. Cover the bowl(s) and place them in the fridge to set for a minimum of an hour. 

Once you have waited an hour (or more, you can literally leave the salad in the fridge for hours before baking) you will need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Get out your large baking pans and fill them up with your salad. Bake for 7-10 minutes, don't burn your leaves. While that is baking you can also take your cup of copped pecans and toast them in your toaster oven, or in the oven with your salad if there is room. They don't need very long (5-7 minutes tops). 

Remove your salad from the oven, and sprinkle your pecans on top. Serve immediately, and enjoy the break from the sugar rush.