Forget the winter blues, January is all about the greens. Kale, spinach, rocket and every other variety of green leaves are all flying off the shelves. While the whole world seems miserable drinking their cold January juices I am tucking into bowls of this wonderfully nourishing and warming kale lentil and basil soup. The thought of surviving on juices for the month of January leaves me feeling cold. On the other hand this amazingly superfood dense soup leaves me feeling wonderfully nourished and energized. If you are not the worlds biggest kale fan this soup might just change your mind. Kale is great in soup as it loses its fibrous texture that can be off putting, the basil will transport you from the cold of January to sunny Provence while the lentils will keep you full and satisfied. The blog is now on Yummly so you can easily add my recipes to your recipe box!
Kale’s fame as a super green is well deserved considering its wonderful nutritional profile. If you are looking to improve your complexion (like me!) then kale is the vegetable for you. Kale offers a whole host of skin boosting vitamins and minerals. Firstly kale is a rich source of vitamin C with just one cup providing ninety percent of your daily requirement. Vitamin C helps make collagen which is the structural protein that imparts skin strength by forming a mesh-work that holds together our skin cells. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant which can help prevent damage to our skin by free radicals. In addition kale is a wonderful source of copper. Copper plays a vital role in the production of the pigment melanin which is responsible for protecting our skin from sun damage. Just like vitamin C copper also plays a role in collagen formation.