Changing eating habits, with the HCG diet protocol to help us, takes time and adjustment.

I hate anything bitter. I think I must have a large number of the 30 different “bitter taste receptors” that our genes can code for.  Apparently some people don’t have very many and what would make my mouth recoil would cause no reaction from their mouth.  Lucky them.  Maybe they can eat bitter melon without gagging.

Are All Greens Bitter?

Greens are something that I kind of lumped all together in the recesses of my mind for a long time- they were labeled “bitter” and only pulled off the mind-shelf when I had an OCD attack of healthy-ism, which usually only lasted a few days- somehow I kept trying the wrong things and never liking it.

I’m still not fond of chard- it’s not necessarily bitter but has this kind of soapy taste I can’t get used to yet….maybe in time.  Dandelion greens (from the store) – usually bitter.  I hear if they are picked as young little whipper-snappers they are quite good- so lemme know if you see a stand of the little darlings sometime in the spring. 😉

KALE- the Missing Link to Love for Greens!

Guess what?  Kale is actually delicious!….when grown and harvested properly, which, whoever is supplying the grocery stores these days seems to have gotten the hang of it.  In extreme heat Kale does indeed become quite bitter, but when grown under cooler conditions (which is why there are heaps of kale at the markets right now) it’s delicious- it even almost has a hint of nutty sweetness to it.

I had NO idea there were different varieties of kale.  They have different tastes and texture in the mouth.  This particular type of kale- often referred to as Dinosaur (Dino) Kale is the tastiest variety to eat raw.

Kale Salad Actually Rocks

I have actually been craving raw kale salad lately- no joke.  Coming from a person who used to drive across town just to get her daily fix of cookies and ice-cream, that’s saying a lot.  To give you an idea of amounts, I eat an entire head of dino kale as my salad, for me and me alone.  I almost get a little possessive of it if anyone tries to take too many bites of it.

No More Sitting

I don’t let my raw kale salad SIT.  I just eat it.

Really though, this conversation ensued with my momma (hi mom!) just the other night as I offered to make kale salad for a family dinner and she was concerned that there wouldn’t be enough time for it to sit and soften and soak up the dressing etc for a half hour like it seems other sites say is required.

Maybe I’m crazy, or maybe I use too much olive oil, but I find this salad as I make it can be eaten right away.  If it feels too crunchy, I add more olive oil.   If there is something that is preventing you from making or eating something that is good for you- look for ways to see if there is a faster/easier way to make it doable for you.

For phase 3 of the hCG Diet you can add a touch of sweetness to your forkfuls by adding either sliced or grated carrot- OR make it way more fun and go with carrot noodles from the Spiralizer.  For phase 4 you can use something like dried cranberries- the pairing of the mild nutty taste and lovely texture of the kale, paired with the balsamic vinegar and the sweetness of the dried cranberries is delightful.

I like this so much I actually have to slow myself down so that I’m not technically “scarfing” it down, which is defined as eating voraciously.

Recipe

1 Head of Dinosaur (Dino) aka Lacinato Kale
Pine Nuts
Carrot “noodles” or just chopped carrot
for P4 people: you can dried cranberries
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinagrette
Salt

Cut the ribs from the kale, then cut leaves small- it’s hard to eat if the leaves are too big.  Add the carrot noodles or dried cranberries, and the pine nuts.  To dress it- I really don’t measure- this is how I do it- after pouring on some olive oil and vinegar and putting a dash of salt, do a taste test- if it doesn’t have much taste/doesn’t have enough kick, add more vinegar.  If it’s kind of dry tasting, add more olive oil.  You don’t need much salt.

Btw did you know how much cheaper it is to dress salads this way than to buy storebought salad dressing?  And it seriously takes maybe 15 seconds longer.  Not to mention way healthier with no preservatives!

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