A Letter to Kale

Dear Massaged Kale Salad,

Where have you been all my life? In all my years of eating leafy greens, why have I not bumped into you? I'm embarrassed that it's taken me so long to make your acquaintance. How could I not have known about your delicious nutritiousness? More importantly, how could I not know how easy you are (no offense)? I just drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some sea salt and garlic power and massage your leaves until they are a brilliant green. It takes no more than two minutes, and it's delightful!

I've paired you with homemade bacon bits, and with avocado-- you taste great with everything! I will be eating much more of you in the future. Not only are you in season right now, but you are full of calcium, vitamins K, C and A and cancer preventing organosulfur phytonutrients.

I promise to keep trying all different kinds of you, Massaged Kale Salad, with the hopes that you fill me with nutrients and keep me smiling with your awesomeness.

Sincerely,

AllieNic

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Kale Chips

I'm all about trying out other blogger's recipes right now. Most recently, we attempted Everday Paleo's Pecan Crusted Chicken and a kale chip recipe found on Oh She Glows.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard (preferable of the organic variety)
• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 1 cup pecans
• 4 Chicken Breasts

For this recipe, I used my favorite honey:

Honey Gardens Apitherapy Raw Honey from the town next to my hometown in Vermont, The Green Mountain State.

I combined the mustard and the honey in a bowl:


Chopped up the pecans in the food processor:

Next, I coated the chicken in the mustard/honey sauce and rolled in the pecans. I placed the chicken in a greased (olive oil) glass baking dish (aka my pie pan)...


...and baked the chickens at 350 for about 35 minutes.

While the chicken was baking, I washed and de-stemed one head of kale that I picked up at the Copley Square Farmers Market. I laid the kale out on a baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

I popped the tray into the oven at 350 and baked for about 10 minutes per side, until the kale was crispy.

The results were delicious!


I will definitely be making both of these dishes in the future. The meal was so good that when I packed the leftovers in my lunch this morning, Chester went into my bag and attempted to open the tupperware containing the chicken! He was caught in the act (thankfully), and while I don't have a picture of the actual incident, he looked something like he does after destroying his "baby."

Note the mutilated baby in the background

No chicken for Chester!