By Chef Valerie Wilson
Every holiday meal needs a colorful side dish. Main course dishes are always the stars of the meal; however, the stars can’t shine without supporting flavor from the side dishes. The flavors of most of the main course dishes will either be salty or sweet. A successful side dish will feature other sour, bitter, or pungent flavors to complement the salty and sweet tastes. An easy way to accomplish adding those flavors to your dish is by adding some vinegar or having sauerkraut in your dish. A good brown rice vinegar will be sour, pungent, bitter, and a little sweet. Sauerkraut will have all the flavors, with sour being the strongest.
In your side dish, a green vegetable, such as kale, can always add great color to your holiday meal. Kale is a hardy plant in the cabbage family. It is easy to grow and can even survive in your garden after a frost. Recognized by its dark green leafy appearance, kale is lightly sweet and bitter to the taste. Known for its high protein and iron content, kale contains calcium, vitamins A and C, and chlorophyll. It helps ease lung congestion, heals the liver and immune system, and benefits the stomach. Energetically, it feeds and nurtures the heart, brain, small intestines, and blood.
Because the plant is so hardy, eating it imparts strength to your body. Kale contains indole-3-carbinol, which may protect against colon cancer. It is also rich in the nutraceuticals lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eyes from macular degeneration.
Colorful Sweet and Sour Kale
1 large carrot (pencil cut)
1 large apple (sliced thin)
1 cup water
1 bunch kale (chopped)
2 cups purple cabbage (diced)
1 T. brown rice vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup sauerkraut
Put the carrot, apple, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the kale, cabbage, brown rice vinegar, and sea salt. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and continue simmering for seven more minutes. Mix all together and serve.
