Hack Your Body To Crave Kale (with this recipe...)

When I posted the Synchro Salad recipe last year, it was primarily just a convenient place to point friends to when they asked me for the recipe at one point or another.  Invariably, every time I make this salad at a party or have friends over for dinner, someone will ask me for this recipe.  What I didn't expect is the feedback from other readers, letting me know how much they enjoyed the recipe and how it was now a regular part of their life/diet.  Which is why I'm happy to report back that the Synchro Salad has evolved and is now an even more amazing recipe - in both flavor and nutritional content.

 

Synchro Salad prep at a recent party.  Yes, we do eat kale salads at our parties in San Francisco.  ;) 

Why This Recipe Is A 'Hack'

A huge element of the Synchro nutritional strategy is to incorporate as many powerful, nutrient-dense foods into your diet as possible.  We believe in the power of these nutrient-rich foods to transform the mind and body - Synchro Genesis was obviously designed with this as a guiding principle.  These foods will remineralize your body, support metabolism and reduce inflammation.  Yet sometimes getting nutrient dense foods is easier-said-than-practiced.  Years of eating habits based around less-awesome foods can be hard to break.  Many people end up falling back on what is familiar.  Breaking these habits requires is a "hack"...meaning a technique (in this case a recipe) you can use to initiate positive change seemingly disproportionate to the effort required to perform the technique.  

Synchro Salad qualifies as a full-fledged 'hack' in my eyes because of the response your body will have to it.  It is completely delicious for starters, most people trying the salad for the first time take an initial exploratory bite and have a "whoa!" response, immediately followed by a devouring of the salad.  But perhaps more importantly, because Synchro Salad nourishes your body so deeply and powerfully, eating one of these salads produces a sense of satisfaction that is deeper and more intense than what you get from a meal that is delicious, but less-nourishing.  Your whole body is charged and nourished.

The effect of eating a Synchro Salad is one your body and taste buds will remember.  If you're like most people, your body will start craving these salads.  

And since you will have now trained your body to crave a meal that delivers you such an exceptional level of nutrients and detoxifying, anti-inflammatory foods...you will have  effectively "re-wired" your cravings to serve your goals rather than work against them.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1-2 Bunches Organic Kale

         

  • 1/2 Cup Raw Shelled Hemp Seed
  • 1/2 Large Sweet Potato

      

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 4 Tbsp Veganaise (choose either the "Soy Free" or "Reduced Fat".  Both varieties use safflower oil - a quality low-omega-6, non-gmo oil. Other varieties of Veganaise use other less-desirable oils)
  • 2 Tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (a soy sauce alternative that is wheat-free and not fermented)
  • 1.5 Tbsp Fresh Ginger - finely chopped
  • 1/2 Tbsp Green Curry Paste
  • 1 Tbsp Water
  • Cayenne Pepper to taste

       

Directions

Dressing: 

  • Add all ingredients to a jar and shake vigorously.  That's it.

Sweet Potatoes:

  • Wash sweet potatoes thoroughly and cut into dice-sized cubes
  • Add to a deep pan with 3-4oz water and 1-2tbsp coconut oil.  Steam/simmer over med heat with the lid on for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
  • The water will have steamed off by now.  Lower the heat slightly and lightly brown the cubes by keeping them in the pan for another 5-10 minutes.  The finished product will be soft and lightly browned on one side.

      

 

Salad:

  • Tear kale into small pieces (by hand or with scissors/knife) and wash thoroughly.  Drain water.
  • Pour the dressing over the kale evenly and toss thoroughly, until the dressing covers all of the kale evenly.
  • Add hemp seeds and toss again quickly.
  • Add the sweet potatoes (straight off the stove is best).  Toss one final time.  Be especially thorough with this tossing, as mixing in the sweet potatoes completely allows their sugar to meld into the dressing - amplifying the flavor of the dressing.  Mashing some of the sweet potato helps this process.

Enjoy!

Why You Want This Salad In Your Body

Kale:

  • 800% Daily Value (DV) Vitamin A and 2400%(!) DV Vitamin K  (approx. in one salad)
  • Loads of Trace Minerals and Phytonutrients
  • High Levels of Antioxidants
  • Anti-Inflammatory
  • Lutein and Zeaxanthin for your eyes
  • Enzymatically Active and Living!

Hemp Seeds:

  • 23g of Highly Digestible, Amino-Complete Protein (in 1/2 cup)
  • 100% DV Vitamin E, 600% Vitamin B2, 80% Vitamin B1, 20% Vitamin B3
  • Hemp is grown in excellent soil (compared to most domestic produce), so it is exceptionally mineral-rich. Including...50% DV Calcium, 100% Phosphorus, 100% Magnesium, 40% Zinc, 60% Copper, 200% Manganese, and many, many others in lesser amounts
  • High In Omega 3 EFA's and relatively well balanced with Omega 6's
  • Raw and Enzymatically Active

Sweet Potatoes:

  • Low-Glycemic, Nutrient-Rich Carbohydrate Source
  • Low Fructose
  • 400% DV Vitamin A, 20% Vitamin C
  • Rich In Minerals

Dressing:

  • Safflower Oil in the Veganaise is a quality oil that is low in Omega 6 (a good thing...and unlike almost every vegetable-derived oil).  Picking oils is sometimes a matter of picking the best available choice rather than picking something that is particularly nutritionally valuable.  Safflower oil lacks any of the problems that come with other oils (high omega 6, GMO, trans fats, etc)
  • Raw Ginger is anti-inflammatory
  • Bragg's fills the space of soy sauce quite well, and lacks the issues of soy sauce (wheat protein, fermentation that adds toxins)

 

Stay Synchro,

     Graham Ryan

     

 

 

Looking For More On Choosing The Best Foods?

Choosing Your Carbs Intelligently (And The Problem With Fruit)

Why Chocolate Is The World's Greatest Food

Get Rid Of Chronic Inflammation (and pain) With Turmeric

 

 

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