All hail Kale!

Ok, earlier this week Vegan Danielle wrote a piece mentioning Kale as a leafy veg that's chock full of vitamins. She got me thinking about the atributes of this butchy broadleaf.

Why does Kale matter to me?

• 1. Kale is tough as nails. No, not in your mouth but it's tough out in the elements. Resilient plants don't get more badass than Kale which is closely related to wild cabbage and grows well in Siberia and cooler climates or is a natural part of Brazilian cooking.
  
• 2. Popeye's Spinach had nothing on the musk-uls that Kale swings and Kale don't pull punches. In fact Spinach is a very good comparisons because preparation and cooking of kale is most similar to it except Kale is not so slimy. Kale is the most robust cabbage type - indeed the hardiness of kale is unmatched by any other vegetable.
  
• 3. Kale is considered to be one of the most highly nutritious vegetables, with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, lutein and zeaxanthin and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale is a very good source of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K and Carotenoids (which provide vitamin A). In Japan, kale juice (known as aojiru) is a popular dietary supplement.

So without more jabber-jawing I've detailed one of my favorite ways to quickly whip up an easy entree' suitable for any cocksman on the run.

Stuff to get

• 1 lg bundle of fresh kale (It's in the lettuce section)
  
• 170 grams / 6 ounces whole wheat linguine or spaghetti (Why whole wheat? Cause that layer of metastasized fritos on your obliques says you don't need any more processed flour)
  
• 1-2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 4-5 plump cloves garlic (Benefits: proven ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as help the body to fight infections.)
  
• 3 tablespoon pignoli nuts (pinecone seeds or pine nuts lubricate the lungs and large intestines, and are 14 percent protein.)
  
• Sea salt
  
• Fresh black pepper

How to cook Kale Alla Toscana 

Start boiling the water for the pasta first. Next, chop the garlic into small slivers and saute it in about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the garlic is soft, add the pine nuts and saute until everything is golden and lightly browned. Turn the heat off.

When the water boils, throw in the pasta with some salt -- it'll take about 10 minutes to cook. Put a steamer over the pot. Strip the kale off its stems and tear into bite-sized pieces; put them aside until the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta; then put the kale into the steamer and cook over the pasta.

As soon as the kale is wilted, pull the steamer off the pot and dump the kale in with the garlic and nuts. Mix well. Drain the pasta and put it into a deep bowl. Toss it with the kale mixture; serve immediately, with sea salt and fresh-ground pepper.