Healing Foods: Kale (Served With 15 Minute Rosemary Lambchops)

While cooking for my friend Glenn during his chemo for liver cancer, I was always looking for foods that both supported the liver, and that would be nutrient rich to help build up strength and stamina to get through the nausea that goes with chemo treatments. One of the superfoods I was happy to learn more about and discover new recipes for is kale.

Among the cruciferous vegetables, kale is packed with powerful phytonutrients and sulforaphane that cause the liver to produce enzymes to aid in the detoxification and cleansing of harmful chemicals. (Please read more about kale and its health promoting benefits in www.whfoods.org).

Kale is delicious in soups and stews—but my two favorite kale recipes are sautéed kale with roasted garlic, and kale chips—baked crisp in the oven with olive oil and sea salt.

My favorite kale recipes are detailed below. Do your liver a favor and give them a try….

Sauteed Kale

I large bunch of kale, washed and cleaned well.

½ cup stock (I prefer chicken or beef stock, but vegetable stock works well too)

6 cloves roasted garlic (see recipe in earlier post)

sea salt and cracked black pepper

Remove the kale leaves from the thick center stem and tear into bite size pieces. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the stock and let it simmer briskly. Add the kale leave and stir/sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the roasted garlic, and lower the heat and let simmer for 3 more minutes. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

(NOTE: Glenn loved the kale when I served it with the Rosemary Lamb Chops, recipe below. Reprinted with permission from www.whfoods.org)

Kale Chips (recipe courtesy of my friend Jeanette)

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a non-insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until edges are brown but not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

15-minute Rosemary Lamb Chops (with Roasted Garlic Sauteed Kale)

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

12 lamb chops

6 TBS fresh lemon juice

3 TBS chopped fresh rosemary,

3 medium cloves garlic, pressed

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:

Press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out its hidden health benefits.

Mix together lemon juice, rosemary, pressed garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub lamb chops with mixture. Set aside on plate.

Preheat broiler on high heat, and place a stainless steel or cast iron skillet large enough to hold the lamb chops under the heat for about 10 minutes to get very hot (about 5-7 inches from the heat source). Be sure that the handle is also metal.

Once pan is hot, place lamb chops in pan, and return to broiler for about 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness of lamb. Lamb is cooked quickly as it is cooking on both sides at the same time. This is our Quick Broil cooking method.

Serves 4

Healthy Cooking Tips:

You can refer to our Quick Broil animation for more details on this cooking method. Make sure your pan has had a chance to get very hot for best results. This seals in the juices of the lamb and makes it moist. This recipe is created for a quick and easy meal. If you can plan ahead the lamb is even more tender and flavorful if given a chance to marinate for a few hours. 'You can check for doneness by using a meat thermometer; it will read 165F/74C when lamb is ready to serve.