Nutritious KALE salad by Chef @SeamusMullen #GardenCuizine @pfizer @SpiritOfWomen @InspiraHN @arthritis_org

Kale Salad

with Fruit and Heirloom Veggies 

Yesterday, celebrity chef Seamus Mullen took a drive from the Big Apple to visit South Jersey to share his tips on living and cooking with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He was diagnosed with RA in 2007. Seamus prepared an inflammatory fighting veggie recipe - kale salad. The event took place at Appel Farms and Music Center in Elmer, NJ.

Chef Mullen made diet and lifestyle changes to deal with RA swelling, stiffness and pain – a challenge for chefs especially, since they stand long hours on hard kitchen floors and have to be able to bend their fingers around and grip chef’s knifes. Rheumatologist Dr. Barry Shimmer spoke before the cooking demo about the clinical diagnosis and the importance of communicating disease symptoms to your doctor.

Seamus lived in Spain for years and enjoys cooking Spanish cuisine. He was Executive Chef and Partner of Boqueria’s flagship Spanish restaurant when it opened in New York's popular Flatiron district in 2006. Five years later (August 2011) he opened Tertulia in Manhattan’s West Village. Tertulia’s boasts 2-stars from The New York Times and 3-stars from New York Magazine. 

Chef Mullen's latest culinary venture is about to open real soon this Fall - a tapas and wine bar El Colmado located at 600 11th Ave, NY, NY in Gotham West Market. Despite such a busy work schedule, Seamus has committed himself to spread the word about RA and share his story and love of cooking in hope of inspiring others to improve their diet and lifestyle. You may find kale in some recipes in his cookbook released last year: Hero Food: How Cooking with Delicious Things Can Make Us Feel Better - Andrews Mcmeel Publishing.

Kale - Brassica oleracea

“Kale is delicious,” said Chef Mullen as he prepared kale salad. “Kale is dense in micro-nutrients,” including vitamins A, C, B6, dietary fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium and potassium. Tuscan kale (also known as Dinosaur kale) is a popular kale cultivar you can grow at home or find at farm markets. He tore Tuscan kale off the ribs and set it aside in a salad bowl and added whole grapes and Spanish Marcona almonds. 

Chef Mullen used a food processor to thinly slice nutrient-rich, locally grown patty pan squash, heirloom watermelon radish and shallots that he added to the kale. The salad was seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper before being tossed with creamy vinaigrette - Yum! Kale has been a favorite of mine for decades. 

Honey Buttermilk Vinaigrette 
Ingredients for the flavorful vinaigrette dressing included: buttermilk, garlic, champagne vinegar, honey, dill, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Olive oil was blended in last and slowly to maintain an emulsion.

The kale salad was delicious considering kale can be a tough green. In years past kale was most often relegated as a garnish or only served in health food restaurants, but today, thanks to more delicate varieties like Tuscan Kale, you see home cooks and chefs using raw kale in everything from salads (especially kale Caesar salad) to smoothies.

Event sponsors included Pfizer and Spirit of Women.
Related Links 
Rethink RA with Chef Mullen 
More about Rheumatoid Arthritis
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