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Kale with Sweet Potatoes and Pecans

If there’s a safe haven in the vegetable kingdom, it’s sweet potatoes. In fact, I bet that if every kid’s introduction to veggies were a sweet potato, it would knock down parental stress over healthy eating by at least 50 percent. I mean, what’s not to love? Sweet taste, beautiful color, and fantastic nutrition, not to mention a creamy texture that allows you to introduce chopped greens in a nonthreatening manner. Here, I’ve added kale, which has some outstanding anticancer properties, and ginger, which aids digestion, for a little zip.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or unrefined virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 cup peeled and finely diced sweet potato or garnet yam
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Magic Mineral Broth (page 54) or water
3 cups cleaned, stemmed, and chopped dinosaur kale, in bite-size pieces
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground pecans, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the ginger and sauté for 30 seconds, just until aromatic. Add the sweet potato, cinnamon, and broth and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the kale, salt, and raisins and sauté until the kale is a darker shade of green and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup, then do a FASS check and add another pinch of salt if desired.

    Step 2

    Serve garnished with the ground pecans.

  2. variation

    Step 3

    The ground pecans have the same texture as a sprinkling of finely grated cheese. If you’d like something more crunchy, place 1/4 cup of pecans on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 7 to 10 minutes, until aromatic and slightly browned. Chop coarsely before sprinkling on this beautiful dish.

  3. storage

    Step 4

    Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 5 days.

  4. nutrition information

    Step 5

    (per serving)

    Step 6

    Calories: 160

    Step 7

    Total Fat: 10.1g (1.3g saturated, 6.6g monounsaturated)

    Step 8

    Carbohydrates: 17g

    Step 9

    Protein: 3g

    Step 10

    Fiber: 3g

    Step 11

    Sodium: 200mg

  5. CULINARY RX

    Step 12

    Kale is like a twenty-four-hour pharmacy unto itself. It possesses a variety of phytochemicals that attack different cancers. In one large study, women who ate diets rich in kaempferol (found in kale and other green vegetables such as broccoli, leeks, and spinach) were 40 percent less likely to develop ovarian cancer. Kale has similar effects on the development of bladder and breast cancers. Kale is also rich in numerous antioxidants that promote immune system wellness.

Excerpted from The Cancer Fighting Kitchen, copyright 2017 by Rebecca Katz and Met Edelson. Published with permission by Ten Speed Press.
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