Cavelero Nero is a deep green Tuscan kale and like all kale is packed with vitamins K, A & C, minerals such as manganese and copper, omega 3 fatty acids plus it is rich in carotenoid & flavonoid antioxidants. It is a great winter food as it is plentiful in the shops or in the garden at this time of year. Sunflower seeds are fantastic  paired with kale, they are rich in vitamins E & B1 plus copper, manganese and selenium.

Ingredients.

1 large bunch of Tuscan kale or other kale.

6 cloves of garlic.

1 tablespoon lemon juice or Apple cider vinegar.

1/4 teaspoon salt.

1/4 cup or more water.

1 cup of sunflower seeds. I like to use sprouted sunflower seeds but it’s not necessary .

1 tablespoon sesame seeds.

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds.

2 tablespoon or more of olive oil.

If you wish to sprout your sunflower seeds for this recipe you will need to start them a few days before. Soak them for 4-6 hours in water then drain and cover the bowl with a saucer, rinse and drain a couple of times a day until the little roots start growing, as in the photo above.

For the sunflower seed butter peel chop coarsly and fry the garlic gently in a little coconut or olive oil until softened but not browned. Roast the sunflower seeds in the oven at 180c until dry and toasted brown.

In a food processor put the lemon juice, softened garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and the sunflower seeds and blend until it is like a coarse paste.Then through the funnel slowly add the water, it will emulsify and thicken, keep adding water until it is a creamy soft butter. Taste and add more salt if needed.

While the sunflower seeds are roasting prepare the kale, I like to chop the lower more stalky part of the kale and cook that for longer. No need to remove the stalks in Tuscan kale, simply chop it into 2 cm lengths and fry in a large frying pan in the rest of the olive oil until the hard stalks are softened, about 10 minutes.

Then chop the more leafy ends into two or three cm lengths and add to the pan, slosh in a little more olive oil if you think it needs it. Cook with a lid on for about 5 minutes. In a seperate pan dry toast the sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds until browned.

Now it’s time to put the warm salad together, spread out the sunflower seed butter onto a serving platter.Then pile on the kale followed by the toasted seeds. Serves four hungry people as a side dish. Or if you prefer just serve it on its own.  Carbs 18 gms per serve.Here served with chicken liver pate, sauerkraut, and pumpkin seed no grain bread.