Native Superfood Kale….Delicious Curly Kale Crisps…

On my Raw adventuring I am delighted by curly Kale crisps, happily tucking into a bowl of them with an evening film when the world around eats dorites….

I have purchased a food dehydrator and this new recepies of dried tomato and cashew Kale crisps is my favourite this month.

Ingredients:

 

•                1 large bunch of kale, stems discarded and leaves ripped up

•                30 grams homegrown dried tomatoes, soaked in water to soften for at least 1 hour

•                1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

•                2 large garlic cloves

•                2 tbsp fresh lime juice

•                2 tbsp yeast flakes

Method

•  In two separate bowls, soak the sun-dried tomatoes and cashews in water for at least 1 hour, I left them over night but it can be done quicker if you need.
• ·       After soaking, keep the tomato soaking water. Drain and rinse the cashews.
• ·       In a food processer then mince up the nuts and add crushed garlic and the rest of ingrediants including the tomatoe water
• ·       tear the kale into pieces in a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top of the kale and stir with a spoon. Then toss the spoon and get in there with your hands to massage the sauce into the kale until well coated.
• ·      Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• ·      Dehydrate for about 8 hours at 115F.
• ·       EAT

History

In the wild, the Brassica oleracea plant is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe but Kale has been cultivated for over 2,000 years. In much of Europe it was the most widely eaten green vegetable until the Middle Ages when cabbages became more popular. Historically it has been particularly important in colder regions due to its resistance to frost. In nineteenth century Scotland kail was used as a generic term for 'dinner' and all kitchens featured a kail-pot for cooking.

Kale was grown as a staple crop in the the Scottish Islands due to it’s extreme hardiness, and was given protection from the elements in purpose built Kale Yards. Indeed, almost every house had a kale yard and preserved kale in barrels of salt, similar to sourkraut in Germany. They also fed it to livestock through the winter. Kale continued to be extremely important until potatoes came to the Islands towards the end of the 18th century.

Superfood

Portion for portion kale is hard to beat when it comes to the number of nutrients it contains and a great choice for those wanting to enjoy a healthy balanced diet. Kale is an excellent source of vitamins K, A and C, as well as containing useful amounts of manganese, copper and phytochemicals, which are believed to help against certain types of cancer.