November 18, 2017 2 Comments
Thanksgiving is here, and for most people, that means lots of food! If you’ve been trying to eat healthy and don’t want to lose your momentum, the best way to maintain your good habits and still enjoy your favorite holiday dishes is to fill up on fresh veggies at the start of the meal so that you’ll eat less of the decadent dishes that follow.
The following recipe is tasty and healthy and a great choice for the pre-feast salad for an important reason: Kale, like other bitter salad greens, is great for your liver. It preps your entire digestive tract for the big meal that follows so that you feel less bloated afterwards. You will also absorb more of the nutrients from your meal. You might not care about all that when you’re 20, but when you’re over 40, good nutrition starts to take on new meaning and importance.
Here are more good reasons to include this salad on your Thanksgiving table:
The ingredients are simple, but the flavors are a pleasing balance of salty and sweet; the tart citrus vinaigrette adds light freshness, and walnuts add a meaty richness along with more protein and healthy fats.
A few notes before getting started:
You will need:
In a large bowl, add the kale, olive oil, lemon and orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.
With clean hands, massage the vinaigrette into the kale for about 30 seconds (I’ve never actually timed how long it takes to get the kale perfect), rubbing and squeezing until the kale is glistening and a bit softened. When the kale starts giving up some dark green juice, it has been softened but will not be soggy. It’s possible to over do it, so try not to. Err on the side of crispiness.
After the kale is nice and refreshed after a relaxing massage, gently toss in the walnuts, cilantro, and cranberries. Arrange some sweet little orange wedges or slices artistically on top, and enjoy.
If you like cheese, small cubes of Iberico or crumbles of sheep’s milk feta can be tossed in.
If you have any leftovers, you can use them in sandwiches, wraps, and weirdly enough, in vegetable soups.
Wishing you a healthy happy Thanksgiving!
Kita
November 11, 2018
I really miss the restaurant. Do you plan on writing/ selling a book of your recipes?
Regards,
Monica
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June 19, 2022
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We all feel stressed sometimes. Luckily, there's an easy fix for it. The ingredients in this Lavender-Chamomile-Coconut Latte will help you relax your mind, fight stress and anxiety, and let you rest peacefully. I've combined two of nature's most relaxing ingredients to create a beautiful caffeine-free tea latte recipe that will delight your taste buds while also bringing stress levels down.
June 06, 2022
Kita Centella
November 11, 2018
Hi Monica! Thanks for your feedback. This is one of the original restaurant recipes. I post many the recipes to this blog, so the cookbook is happening, but in slow motion. Thank you so much for your support!