If you mention Kale to any nutritionally informed person, be prepared for the “gotta have it” speech as they will sing its praises as if the vegetable were good in bed. That being said, I’m trying to include this cruciferous vegetable in my meal repertoire, but I’m struggling with how to cook it and make it tasty and nutritious at the same time.

For those of you not in the know, here are three of the standout benefits from Kale.

It’s loaded with: (1) antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, (2) much-needed macronutrients (in which the average U.S. adult is currently deficient), and (3) cancer-preventive nutrients called glucosinolates.

In addition, Kale is packed with Vitamin K and is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese; a very good source of copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6, and potassium; and a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin B2, protein, vitamin B1, folate, phosphorous, and vitamin B3.

That reads like the back of a multi vitamin bottle and it even has FIBER.

So how do you cook this stuff that resembles a freshly mowed lawn?

A friend of mine has a recipe where you chop the kale, toss it with olive oil and cider vinegar, season with whatever spices you like (I used a ton of garlic salt…big no-no) and roast it at a high temperature until it gets crunchy. If you close your eyes, you can pretend you’re eating salt and vinegar chips but the roasting kills most of the nutrients.  Here is the right way to cook it to maintain all of the nutrients and I’m wondering if any of our Mypheme readers can suggest how to spice it up a bit? PLEASE HELP!

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound kale, chopped
Mediterranean Dressing:
1 TBS lemon juice
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or chopped
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Chop garlic and let it sit for 5 minutes to enhance its health-promoting properties. Fill bottom of steamer with 2 inches of water and bring to boil. While water is coming to a boil, slice kale leaves into 1/2-inch slices, and cut again crosswise. Cut stems into 1/4-inch slices. Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out its health-promoting properties.When water comes to a boil, add kale to the steamer basket and cover. Steam for 5 minutes.Transfer to a bowl and toss with Mediterranean Dressing ingredients. For the best flavor(that’s a stretch), toss with dressing while kale is still hot.

Serves 2