Post Work Out Kale Salad

I try to eat a little protein when I get home from the gym, but that's not always easy since we started eating a plant based diet. I guess I was feeling extra energetic after our workout today and made us this nutritious salad with kale, edamame, brussel sprout leaves, and beets. It's hard to believe that my family just started eating kale a couple years ago. I'm not sure why, but now it's one of our favorite greens, so the foundation of this salad is shredded kale. My husband doesn't like brussel sprouts, but I've found if I peel the sprouts into individual leaves, the flavor isn't as strong, and he'll eat them. I added edamame for protein in this salad as well as raw beets and red cabbage for their antioxidant powers. The medley of these raw and roasted veggies was super! My husband even asked me if I'd make up another large batch that he could take it to work for lunch. This recipe makes two very large servings, so if you have leftovers, I'm sure it would be even better the next day after marinating overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients: (organic if possible)

1 bunch kale

1 medium sized beet

6 large brussel sprouts

3 green onions

1/4 head purple cabbage

1/2 bag frozen shelled edamame

1/2 bag frozen shittake (you could also use fresh)

extra virgin olive oil

apple cider vinegar

1 clove minced garlic

coarse sea salt

black pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 T or more fresh parsley

Directions: 

1) Make your dressing first:

Whisk about 3 Tablespoons (or more) extra virgin olive oil with 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 T. fresh parsley, a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. 

2) Place edamame and shittake mushrooms on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast at 425-450 degrees. (If you don't like raw beets, you could roast the beets at the same time with the edamame and mushrooms.)

3) While those are roasting, peel the leaves off your brussel sprouts and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

4) Wash your kale well. Remove the ribs and shred into small pieces. I use kitchen scissors to cut my kale. 

5) Stack the kale onto two plates. 

6) Keep an eye on your edamame and mushrooms. I didn't time them, but when they were almost done, I threw in the brussel sporut leaves with them for a couple minutes. Check often, because the brussel sprouts leaves will burn quickly! Remove from oven when done and set aside. 

7) Peel and chop your raw beet and place on top of kale. 

8) Shred about 1/4 head red cabbage and place on top of salad. 

9) Slice your green onions and sprinkle over salad. I use kitchen scissors to cut my onions which is faster for me. 

10) Drizzle dressing over the raw veggies in your salad. 

11) Finally, stack the roasted edamame, sprouts, and mushrooms on top of your salad, and drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil if you like. 

It was a little more time consuming than salads I normally make, but well worth the extra time it took to prepare. The next time I make it, I may top it off with some sunflower or pumpkin seeds for added protein. 

Homemade Kim Chi

Source: drbenkim.com via cclong on Pinterest

I started buying Kim Chi at the grocery store when I found out last year how healthy it's supposed to be. After paying $4 for a small jar that includes ingredients I don't care to eat like fish sauce and sugar, I was excited when I found this homemade, healthier option from Dr. Ben Kim. The changes I make to his recipe are as follows:

• 1 Tablespoon of red pepper (cayenne) mixed with water to form a paste instead of the Korean red pepper
• I leave out the yellow onion and just use grated pear and apple mixed with water.

I made my first batch with Napa cabbage, and it turned out perfect. I made my second batch tonight with bok choy instead (only because they didn't have any Napa cabbage today at the store.) I read a suggestion on another blog to save a little of the fermented Kim Chi as a starter for your next batch, so I'm going to try that next time.