I know a lot of you really want to take your health and fitness to the next level. And part of this includes eating more wholesome, clean foods. Excellent decision, I say!

However, I am aware that many recipes (including mine) require hard-to-find, unfamiliar or just plain weird ingredients.

So I present to you: WTF Wednesday! Each week I will uncover the mysteries behind a food that you may know of, but have no clue as to what the f*** it is, or how to use it.

This week’s WTF: KALE

Why should I eat it?

• It’s amazingly good for you (that’s why it’s so damn green). It’s packed with more nutrients per calorie than most foods on the planet, including Vitamins K, A, C and manganese.
• It also contains ‘organosulfur compounds’, which provide it with anti-cancer properties. Booom!
• It’s super versatile. And when cooking, it’s very hard to stuff it up.
• It’s cheap! You can get a massive bunch for $3 – $4.
• I named my blog after it, so you gotta give it some respect 😉

How do I use it?

LEAF EXTRACTION: Hold the base of the stalk with one hand, then drag your other hand along the stalk, ripping the leaves off in one motion. Don’t eat the stalks unless you have the fibre-breaking digestive system of a heifer.

TIME SAVING TIP: Rip the leaves off a whole bunch, chop them up and pop in a plastic bag or container, keep in the fridge. Then you can just pull out handfuls of it as you need. Too easy.

HOW TO COOK & CONSUME: Think of kale as a tougher version of spinach (Like Arnie vs. Popeye).

• Grab a handful of chopped leaves, wash them (no need to dry), pop in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
• Throw a heap of chopped, washed leaved into a curry, stew or stir fry.
• Eat it raw in salads (requires more chewing, so chop up small)
• For work, I often pile chopped kale into my salad container, then at lunch I pop the kale in a bowl, pour boiling water over it then drain it before adding the rest of my salad ingredients. Wilting it down makes it easier to eat, and besides, I CBF queuing for the microwave!
• Some people add it to green smoothies (I don’t ‘cos my blender is too piss-weak to blend it smooth)
• Bake it in the oven to make kale chips!
• See my EPIC LUNCH for more kale love.

STILL THINK IT’S BORING? Try cooking/eating it with:

• Crisp fried bacon/pancetta/chorizo
• Pine nuts
• Walnuts
• Garlic
• Sunflower seeds

Ok, so where the f*** do I find it?

Major supermarkets and most markets stock it  – look for it near the lettuce, silverbeet and cabbage. It’s also called black cabbage or Tuscan cabbage, so if you’re not sure, just ask! The various types do look different, but you can cook and prepare them all the same way.

Here’s a simple salad with kale, spinach, feta, walnuts, olives and tuna.

Have you tried kale yet? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Simply leave a comment below 🙂