Japanify: Kale Ohitashi

Although I have embraced the fact that I have now crossed-over into 30-somethingdom, my diet has not caught up. With age, my body is clearly not as forgiving when I've had a few too many glasses of wine. The idea of taking multi-vitamins has been hanging over my head for a while now, with no actual follow-through. Oops. I went to the women's doctor yesterday and was handed a pamphlet called Calcium and Vitamin D. The calcium supplements I bought a few years back sits neglected in the pantry. To make up for that, I'd like to share this kale recipe just to prove that I have been getting at least some calcium in my diet -- a half cup of cooked kale has 90mgs of calcium. Before I started making this recipe, I was honestly kind of confused by kale. It seemed too rough and tough and I didn't like the idea of having to saute it in a bunch of oil. I also didn't want to have to go through the hassle of firing up the oven for a few kale chips. But the deep green was too attractive and I would try all kinds of different recipe. I knew there was something I could do, simply and without a mess. I call this Kale Ohitashi. INGREDIENTS 1 Bunch of kale 1-1/2 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce Red pepper flakes (optional) METHOD 1. Cut cores out of each kale leave and cut or tear into bite-sized pieces. 2. Blanch the kale in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. (You can also steam the kale for more nutritiousness). 3. Mix the sesame oil, vinegar and soy sauce in a small bowl and mix together. 4. Drain the kale and rinse with cold water. Shock in ice water. Squeeze out water well. 5. In a big bowl place kale and drizzle soy sauce mixture over it and toss well. Sprinkle red pepper flakes (optional). 6. Serve alongside rice or noodles. Thanks to the blanching method, I don't have to worry about cleaning up an oily mess or wait to preheat the oven. I can go from prep to cleanup in 20 minutes with this recipe and get a healthy dose of calcium. Served here with Matsutake Farro Kale for busy women, hooray!