Author: movewelldc

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My Top 5 Green Smoothie Recipes

It’s officially Cherry Blossom season here in the District, which means spring (real spring, not teaser spring) is just around the corner! To honor the onset of my favorite time of year in DC, I thought I’d share 5 of my favorite “Greenie”recipes. My Greenies are healthy vegan  smoothies that bring together fruit, dark leafy greens, plant-based protein and nutritional superfoods in one tasty and satisfying blend. At under 400 calories for 16oz of smoothie (that’s two full glasses!), all of these recipes are are great way to start your day. They’re also packed with dietary fiber (thanks to the flaxseed and chia seeds in there) and protein to keep you full and focused. Best of all, they have anywhere from 3 to 5 servings of fruits and veggies so by the end of breakfast you’ll have either met or surpassed your recommended daily intake. Now, that’s no excuse to eat junk for the rest of the day, but it is mighty nice to know that you’re giving your body much of what it needs for optimal function from the get-go. Also, studies show that if you start your day with a healthy breakfast you’re less likely to be obese, more likely to have good/stable blood glucose levels (and consequently more energy and less moodiness), and less likely to be hungry later in the day.

If you’re not a fan of almond milk substitute your favorite unsweetened rice, hemp, soy, coconut or skim milk, or try fat-free plain Greek, soy or coconut yogurt in lieu of almond milk yogurt. Coconut water is another good liquid to swap, just beware of its sugar content. Several brands really jack that up. My favorites are Blue Monkey, C2O, and–la crème de la crème–100% Raw Coconut Water.

 

 

(1) Banana-Berry Breakfast Greenie:

  • 8 oz unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen whole strawberries
  • 2 handfuls baby spinach
  • 1 tbs almond butter
  • 2 tbs ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

287 calories, 14g of dietary fiber, and 10g protein per serving.

(2) Blueberry-Kale Protein Greenie:

312 calories, 22g of dietary fiber, and 27g of protein per serving.

(3) Blueberry-Beet Power Greenie:

  • 8 oz unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 medium beets (boiled)
  • 1 cup frozen wild blueberries
  • 2 handfuls baby spinach
  • 1 tbs grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tbs hemp protein powder
  • 2 tbs ground flaxseed

319 calories, 21g of dietary fiber, and 25g of protein per serving.

(4) Pineapple-Mango Vitamin-C Greenie:

  • 8 oz unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup frozen mango
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
  • 2 handfuls of kale
  • 1 tbs chia seeds
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

341 calories, 13g of dietary fiber, and 10g of protein per serving.

(5) Dark Cherry Goji Greenie:

381 calories, 21g of dietary fiber, and 25g of protein per serving.

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Sea Change in Spring

The first days of spring are upon us–though you wouldn’t know it living here in fickle weather Washington, DC. Be that as it may, spring conjures up the promise of renewal, growth and optimism. For me, the winter-to-spring transition is almost always accompanied by a perceptible upswing in mood, outlook and, most important of all, energy. 2013 is no different. In fact, I’d venture to say that this spring brings with it more than just a modest internal shift but instead a genuine sea-change in my life and future.

Big statement.

The term sea-change refers to a gradual transformation through which the form is retained but the substance is replaced. For all my Shakespeare nerds out there, the expression is taken from a song in The Tempest: “Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea-change, into something rich and strange.” From the outside I look very similar to how I did 8 months ago, save for the rhomboids I never knew I had and a greater dedication to getting pedicures. However, in the same period of time I have undergone a mighty profound metamorphosis.

In August 2012, I set out on an 8-month path to becoming a certified yoga teacher. This past Sunday, I was handed the most important piece of paper in my life: my RYT-200 hour level Power Vinyasa Yoga teaching certificate. Now there’s a mouthful. I can literally hear my parents wincing all the way from Massachusetts as they read that my yoga certification has surpassed my GWU degree in International Development Studies, Phi Beta Kappa, and a Fulbright in terms of lifetime significance. Mom, Dad: I love you and I’m sorry. Thank goodness they’re genetically programmed to love me unconditionally.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand, Split Leg Variation with wall)

I have gotten to do many amazing things in my life. From living in France and Senegal to tackling the icy slopes of Cotopaxi in Ecuador and 14,000+ foot peaks in Colorado, I have ventured far and high in my first 26 years. These experiences were life-changing and pretty darn cool to boot, but they’ve got nothing on this journey I’m on.

All of the support I’ve received throughout the course of this training from my yogi peers, teachers and mentors, as well as my friends and family has been so crucial. I cannot begin to express my gratitude. This path has been one of the most challenging in all my life but it is also this path that has equipped me with the tools needed to ride the waves of life with grace–both the glorious crests and the hidden undertows.

The first steps of this journey (and man oh man is this just the start!) have left me strong, resilient, and more mindful than I was before. I still have my work cut out in terms of navigating the baggage the practice of self-awareness inevitably unearths, but I know that process will only make me a better teacher and healer for my students–and lighter!

What comes next is the unknown. Beautiful opportunity and frightening instability all rolled up in one. Gaze fixed forward, I’m surrendering with enthusiasm, embracing the invisible path ahead.

On the note of surrender, I’ll leave you with an excerpt from one of my all-time favorite Rumi poems. Though intended for the summer-to-fall transition, his final words in “A Necessary Autumn Inside Each” are ones I intend to carry with me into the nascent days of spring as I embark on my untold destiny:

Very little grows on jagged

rock. Be ground. Be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up
where you are. You’ve been

stony for too many years. Try something different. Surrender.

~Rumi

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Yoga Playtime at Venice Beach

To any of you who read my blog on the regular, more posts are on the way. I finish my Yoga Teacher Training this weekend (hooray!) and have just concluded a two-month whirlwind of work travel that took me from Tanzania to Texas to Southern California. Needless to say, I’ve been a little behind on a lot of things. But hey, this crazy beautiful life gets busy from time to time. All the more reason to breath, move, and play!

Nothing beats playing with some yoga asanas at the beach with your family. Okay, so maybe had it been a sunny day it would’ve been a little better.

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Slow It Down, Take a Bubble Bath

Sometimes I feel like I’m always on the go. Whether I’m jetting all over the place for my day job or making moves to get my yoga career off the ground, my days are jammed from the minute my eyes flutter open to the moment I turn down the sheets at night. My commitments blur the line between work and personal time and weekends have been desecrated, no longer prioritizing socializing with friends and R&R.

Like a lot of 20-somethings, this go go lifestyle is self-inflicted. True, I’m a bit of a masochist when it comes to what I set out to accomplish in any given day, week or month, but I love being busy. At least that’s what I tell myself when I’m vibrating after my third cup of coffee and hustling from the yoga studio to meet up with a friend I almost never get to see and back home to get a unit of my nutrition studies done before catching a flight out of Dulles for five days of meetings. Inhale. Exhale. Yes, all the yoga I do helps lower my stress levels but that too takes time and my asana practice can be more (physically) draining some days than I’d like to admit.

The truth is, this pace is stressful and is taking its toll. Spread yourself too thin and you’ll inevitably hit a wall. I hit mini walls all the time. Usually it’s just a few hours of being utterly knackered, feeling overwhelmed, and involuntarily surrendering to tears of fatigue as they flow across my temples in reclining half pigeon. Yep, that happens on a somewhat regular basis. And, you know what, I embrace it as my release and my body’s way of sending self-kindness with the message slow it down.

Here’s the thing: it’s hard to slow down without feeling like I’ve dropped the ball. I don’t sleep in on weekends or go spend an afternoon at the museum because I feel like I am wasting precious time when I could be devising a new recipe for my blog or working on a new killer ab sequence for an upcoming yoga class. And I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. In fact, I’d say the majority of my peers share my fear of losing momentum or missing an opportunity to advance our careers or beings. We’re all driven, ambitious, and slightly insane.

While goals and dreams take hard work, long hours, and persistence in the face of adversity, I know I will not succeed if I don’t give myself a break from time to time. Burn out is no joke kids. And news flash, not one of us is invincible. The key is to know where your edge is and cut back before you’re tumbling ass backwards into a total breakdown. Been there, done that and it ain’t pretty. As it turns out I’m an ugly crier…

http://tvrecappersanonymous.wordpress.com/

So before you end up a hot mess, here’s my prescription: take a bubble bath. Seriously, if you haven’t taken one in a while they’re mind-blowing. Or do whatever it is that will make you slow it down for at least one hour once a week. The key is to unplug and unwind. I like taking an Epsom salt bath because it forces me to put down my cell and computer (water & technology don’t mix), while simultaneously giving my weary muscles a rare chance to rest and recoup. For you it might mean slowly sipping a beer while sitting on your front stoop people watching. Or, maybe you go for a run or a long bike ride. Whatever it is, let me make a suggestion: no technology. Technology takes us out of the present moment, inhibits our awareness, and distracts us from listening to what our body and mind truly need.

We all need to recharge our batteries from time to time. Believe me, we’ll be better as a human race if we work to eliminate some of the stress and chaos that gets us all wound so tight. And I’m telling you, here and now, it’s okay to drop the ball. Because guess what? You will pick it right back up, just with renewed energy and resolve that only comes from sending yourself a little loving kindness.

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Food Allergy-Friendly Dinner Party

Times have changed and now it seems that almost everyone I know has a food allergy or sensitivity of sorts. Personally, I’m a card-carrying lactard. Despite my handicap, I’d still call myself a foodie – I just have to work harder on occasion! Due to my dietary shortcomings, all of the recipes on my blog are dairy-free, many are vegan, and from time-to-time they’re also gluten-free. The recipes below fall under all three categories and, as always, involve ingredients thoughtfully selected to boost your immune system and improve your overall health. Some of the nutritional rockstars in these recipes include:

Ginger: alleviates menstrual cramps; relieves an upset stomach; and has many other natural beauty and homeopathic applications

Coconut Milk: vitamins C, E and many of the metabolism-friendly Bs; magnesium, phosphorous, iron and potassium; may help combat heart disease and age-related diseases because of its high antioxidant content (for more info click here)

Garbanzo Bean Flour: see my post on Sweetly Salted Nut Butter Power Cookies

Turmeric: may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, melanoma  and many other kinds of cancer; is a natural liver detoxifier (aka a hangover must); and may even play a role in fat metabolism. Need more convincing? Here’s a list of 20 benefits of this superspice.

THE MENU

Starter: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Pine Nuts

Entrée: Red Lentil Coconut Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach, served with Thyme-Infused Garbanzo Bean Flat Bread

Dessert: fresh seasonal fruit topped with shredded unsweetened coconut and dark chocolate bits

Wine Pairing: Vouvray or your favorite white wine

I wrote a blog on the first recipe earlier this week – click on the link above for details. As for the entrée, keep on reading.

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Red Lentil Coconut Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach

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What You’ll Need:

  • 2 cups red lentils, well washed
  • 1 tbs coconut oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes w/ juice
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 bag spinach
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (to garnish)

How to Make It:

  1. In a large skillet, sauté onions in coconut oil until soft. Add garlic, turmeric, cumin, ginger, cayenne and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for 1-2 min until aromatic. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil, breaking up any large chunks as you stir.
  2. Add carrots, lentils, coconut milk and broth to your slow cooker. Spoon skillet mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in lemon juice and spinach leaves and continue cooking on high for last 20 min.
  3. Just after adding the spinach, in a medium skillet, sauté shallots in 1 tsp of coconut oil and a pinch of seas salt over medium heat for 3 min. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook for 2 min at medium heat then turn heat to low and cook another 8-10 min until tender and golden brown.
  4. Spoon soup into bowls and top with 1 tbs of thinly sliced green onions and 2 tbs of sautéed shiitake mushrooms.

Thyme-Infused Garbanzo Bean Flat Bread

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What You’ll Need:

  • 1 1/3 cups garbanzo bean flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbs dried thyme
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbs olive oil

How to Make It:

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and thyme. Slowly whisk in water. Let  mixture sit at room temperature for 30 min while oven pre-heats to 350 F.
  2. Place 9″ x 16″ cast iron griddle in oven while it heats. (You can also use a 10″ cast iron skillet here to make a more doughy version, akin to pizza crust).
  3. When batter is ready, whisk in 1 tbs of olive oil. Use the other 1 tbs to coat the griddle. Pour batter onto griddle and bake on center rack for 45 min to an hour (depending on the oven). The flatbread should be firm but chewy. Be careful not to burn. Carefully loosen flatbread from griddle with a spatula and let cool. Cut into strips and serve alongside your soup.

Finally, a great big thanks to my good friends and fellow yogis, Caroline and Jess, for being my test kitchen guinea pigs and great company!

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Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Pine Nuts

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Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Pine Nuts 

  • 12-15 brussels sprouts, shredded (yield 6 cups)
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • pinch of sea salt

1. Using  mandoline, shred brussels sprouts 1/8″ thick–yield should be approximately 6 cups. Place shredded brussels sprouts in a large colander and wash thoroughly.

2. Pre-heat oven to  350° F. Toss pine nuts in olive oil and salt and spread on a small baking sheet. Bake in pre-heated oven for ~5 min, checking frequently to be sure they don’t burn.

3. In a large bowl, combine shredded brussels sprouts, toasted pine nuts and lemon vinaigrette (recipe below), massaging the ingredients to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Lemon Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 4 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbs minced shallot
  • 1 tbs corse Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • salt & pepper to taste

1.Combine all ingredients in a small glass bowl. Whisk vigorously to combine.

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Strong Beats Skinny Any Day

On this Valentine’s Day, I wish for everyone out there to feel loved. Romantic love is wonderful–and I hope you all have or find that kind of love–but the love I am referring to is the love you have for yourself. I wish everyone the feeling of self-love because it is from that place where all else grows. It may sound cliché, but I truly believe that we must first love ourselves in order to love (and be good to/for) anyone else.

For me, loving my whole self is a work in progress. I’m not 100% there but for the first time in a very long time I can say whole-heartedly, I love my body, and mean it. Contrary to our societal ideal of being thin or skinny, I love my body for its strength. For all those out there that make the goal of your fitness and diet efforts losing weight and dropping sizes, it is so much healthier and more powerful to change your focus and strive to arrive at a place where you can honestly say (and believe) the words, I feel strong. 

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Physical strength is absolutely one part of achieving this feeling. I practice yoga daily and have watched my muscles  lengthen and grow. I’ve experienced elation as certain asanas have improved and other challenge postures I never thought possible have found expression through my body. While this kind of strength is empowering in its own right, it is an intangible strength that I first learned about when I traveled to Senegal five years ago that I wish all women could feel. This ineffable, life-changing concept boils down to one word: fayda. Fayda (figh-da) is a distinctly female trait meaning courage, pride, and attitude in Wolof (Senegal’s official  local language).

What it meant to me then and still does now is strength–beautiful, unabashed inner resolve that you are, and have always been, who you were meant to be.

Like many women (and men too, though we ashamedly don’t talk about their perspective as much) I have struggled with body image issues. I’ve always been a bit of a peanut but once those teenage hormones kick in, all of our bodies change in one form or another. That change can be really hard to cope with. Couple that with the way our media and society praise and promote the thinnest of the thin and no wonder so many young people have an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise.

Let me tell you a little story. In college, I discovered a love for rock climbing. I made great friends while doing it but at a certain point started to dislike the way my body looked. Vanity told me that the muscles I was developing were detracting from my femininity and a nagging little voice in my head whispered, what guy is going to like a girl with muscles like that? While that’s not the only reason I stopped climbing–time, travel, and transitions also played a role–I shudder to think that even one iota of why I backed away from something I loved that much was for aesthetic reasons, and ultimately the manifestation of a lack of self-confidence.

No one should ever be made to feel that in order to be beautiful you have to fit into a certain size or look like a stick-figure celebrity. A beautiful body is one that is strong and functional, not one that is so frail that a strong gust of wind could take you out.

You know what I think is beautiful? A mom who can hold her five- and two-year-old sons on her hips and still muster the power to grab a couple grocery bags out of the trunk. That’s functional fitness. That’s beauty. That’s strength.

Resistance training–which is bound to build your muscles–is an important part of maintaining overall wellness. Muscles help reinforce and protect our skeletal structure, guarding us against injury and inability as we age. Whether you decide that weight lifting or isometric bodyweight training (like yoga) is the way to go for your body, do something and don’t be afraid to be strong.

I am strong is a great mantra to find love and honor for your body and being. Be your own Valentine today and make it your own.

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Sweetly Salted Nut Butter Power Cookies

After drooling over a photo of grain-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies posted by my friend Jehan on Instagram, I decided to put my own twist on a healthy, garbanzo bean-based power cookie. If you’re gluten-free, garbanzo bean flour is just about the best “alternative” flour out there. Unlike other bean flours and substitutes like almond meal, it doesn’t need to be combined with regular flour.

Not convinced? Check out this nutritional tête à tête:

Garbanzo Bean Flour:

  • 1/4 cup contains 110 calories
  • 6g protein
  • 18g of carbohydrate (of which 5g is dietary fiber)
  • 10% of the daily value for iron

Whole Wheat Flour:

  • 1/4 cup contains 110 calories
  • 4g of protein
  • 23g of carbohydrate (of which 4g is dietary fiber)
  • 6% of the daily value for iron

Brown Rice Flour:

  • 1/4 cup contains 140 calories
  • 3g of protein
  • 31g of carbohydrate (of which only 1g is dietary fiber)
  • 4% of the daily value for iron

Let’s all clap for the heavyweight champ: Garbanzo Bean Flour!

These power cookies are full of protein, dietary fiber, vitamin E, iron and a delicious kick of sea salt, dark chocolate and your favorite natural nut butter.  If you’re constantly on-the-go, this is the perfect snack to tuck in your purse, backpack or hipster messenger bag for a healthy pre- or post-workout way to (re)fuel your body.

Chocolate Nut Butter Power Cookies

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What You’ll Need:

  • 3/4 cup natural almond or peanut butter (raw, unsalted)
  • 1/3 cup raw honey (+2 tbs hot water)
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp  baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt (to spring on top)

How to Make Them:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
  2. In a KitchenAid mixer or food processor, mix your nut butter, raw honey and water until smooth. Add in apple sauce, egg and vanilla extract and blend again.
  3. Slowly fold in the dry mix, blending as you go.
  4. Mix in the chocolate chips with a baking spatula. (Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t look like the typical cookie mix. It is meant to be very thick and sticky.)
  5. With wet hands, form into 1″ balls. Place balls 1″ apart on a piece of parchment paper. Gently press down on each with a fork, criss-crossing imprints if you want to be fancy.
  6. Sprinkle each cookie with a few grains of coarse sea salt (if you’re into the whole salted-sweets crazy like I am:). Bake for ~10 min.

If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think. The dough can be hard to work with but these tasty power cookies are worth it!

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Bored with Supported Shoulderstand? Change It Up with Lotus Legs

Whether you’ve been to one yoga class or 1,000, you’ve likely tried your hand at an inversion. From the most restorative of options like Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) to a full-blown Scorpion (Vrschikasana), there is an inversion suited for everybody. They can be challenging, it’s true, but in the words of Leo Buscaglia:

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love. Chained by his certitude, he is a slave; he has forfeited his freedom. Only the person who risks is truly free.” 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained–am I right?

By definition as human bipeds we spend most of our day upright, head above our heart. Inversions flip that anatomical predisposition on its head, hands, forearms or shoulders, providing a rare opportunity for increased venous return from the lower body (anything below the heart) and improved lymph drainage. Lymph drainage may help reduce swelling, promote healing, alleviate headaches and decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Whether you drink the inversion health KoolAid or not, done properly they are safe and fun, so why not give them a go?

For athletes, I would definitely suggest Legs Up the Wall for post training and competition recovery. For the rest of us, I’d recommend starting your inversion play with Supported Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)–though both are good for everyone, athlete or not. To get into Supported Shoulderstand check out Yoga Journal’s excellent step-by-step. Once you’ve got that down, you may start to feel the desire to move your legs around, spreading them wide or dropping them in opposite directions into an inverted split. As long as you’re still supporting your back with your hands and keeping your neck straight (no peeking at your neighbors!), you’re safe to play around.

My favorite variation is Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand (Urdhva Padmasana). To get into it, you’ll want to start in Plow Pose (Halasana). From there, pretzel your legs, left over right, into Lotus (Padmasana). With your hands on your back, fingertips pointing toward your booty, stretch your pretzeled thighs up towards the ceiling. Hold this for 8-10 breaths then slowly come out the way you went in, using your hands to gently untangle yourself then slowly rolling down your mat, vertebrae by vertebrae.

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Setting up, feet hip width apart, before sending legs overhead into Halasana.
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Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand, a.k.a. pretzel time
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Lotus Legs: check. Now time to work those elbows and shoulders back in

Have fun with this asana but be careful. If you don’t already have full Lotus (Padmasana) in your practice DO NOT attempt this variation–it can be really tough on the knees.

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Sweet Sesame Raw Kale Salad

If you’re reading my blog, chances are you know what kale is. Chances are even greater that you’re mildy obsessed with it. If this hasn’t happened yet, just you wait, pretty soon you’ll be buying the 2 lb big bag and putting this green goodness into anything you can think of–and for good reason!

Kale gets its emerald green hue from high levels of two disease-fighting carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin). These nutrients are part of the cellular makeup of your eye and help protect those peepers against harmful blue light and ultimately macular degeneration–the leading cause of eyesight loss in Americans over 60.

You like to see right? (Rhetorical question obviously.) Seriously though, go buy some kale and make this raw salad (or my kale chips) and do your part to protect that precious vision. Life is too beautiful not to see it through.

Sweet Sesame Raw Kale Salad

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What You’ll Need:

  • 2 tbs toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tbs sesame seed oil
  • 2 tbs rice vinegar
  • 1 tbs light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tbs fresh ginger, grated
  • 6 cups (or handfuls) curly kale, chopped

How to Make It:

  1. Mix all ingredients except kale in a mason jar (or any small container with a snug lid). Give the contents a good shake until combined.
  2. Put chopped kale (stems removed) in a large mixing bowl. Pour dressing on top and massage kale (yes, massage) for 1-2 min until thoroughly coated. (Manipulating the raw kale like this helps the dressing seep into the leaves, softening the kale and making it easier to digest.)
  3. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. I like to leave mine overnight.

BONUS TIP: this makes for a yummy dressing on just about any salad. Try it over cold soba noodles or shredded romaine with some raw cashews, blood orange segments, and lightly pan-fried tofu for a healthy vegetarian lunch.