Oh for the love of Kale!

Where should I start? Kale. The holy grail of green veg. Now I know some of you may be a bit dubious about a beauty blog posting about a vegetable, but I assure you, once you have read this post - you will be running out to your local supermarket and snatching up a bag for yourself. 

I first discovered kale when I went veg shopping for my two guinea-pigs. What started off as a treat for my piggies, has now turned into a full obsession of mine. Not only is kale cheap, it's pre-bagged and can be used for a multitude of things. It's packed full of antioxidants, which help detox the body of nasties, it's high in vitamins A, C & K (which are great for the skin, mind, and energy levels), and it's even been suggested to aid in fighting certain types of cancers. But what's the catch? A food so good must have a down side, or so I thought! 

If you haven't tried kale before, it has a slight 'cabbagey' taste to it, and can be eaten raw or cooked. It can have quite a strong taste when eaten raw, but the following recipes will cater to those of you who either love or hate the taste. 

All you will need:

An Oven (set to 150 degrees)

A bag of kale (shredded)

Rock Salt

Sugar (depending on preference)

A Baking Tray

Olive Oil

This is possibly the easiest recipe known to man, and so effortless as a healthy snack! All you need to do is set your oven to 150 degrees, place your shredded kale onto a baking tray, sprinkle salt (and sugar if you wish) on top, add a drizzle of olive oil, whack in the oven for 5 minutes (keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn) and then take it out when it's crispy and starting to brown. 

All you will need:

A blender or smoothie maker

A handful of raw shredded kale

An apple of your choice (cut into segments)

A handful of cubed fresh pineapple

A handful of blueberries

A small cup of water or apple juice. 

This recipe is perfect for those of you who dislike the taste of kale, but want to reap the benefits! Because of the fruit used in this smoothie, you can't even taste the kale! All you need to do is whack all the ingredients into a blender (making sure everything is chopped finely) and whizz until it's smooth. I haven't used any ice in this smoothie as the ingredients were cold anyway, but you can add ice (which is perfect for a hot day!). You can also add other fruits or veg to this, to create an even tastier smoothie! My personal preference is to add a small handful of spinach to this as well. 

I absolutely love kale, and now I hope you do too. If you have any kale recipe's you'd like to share with me, please leave a comment below!! Happy kaling everybody!