What is "Kale" anyways?

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the nutritional value of Kale:

Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties; kale is considered to be anti-inflammatory.^[1]

Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein,zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium.

Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, containssulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.^{[citation needed]}Boiling decreases the level of the anti-cancer compounds; however, steaming, microwaving, or stir frying do not result in significant loss.^[2] Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.^[3][4] Kale is also a good source of carotenoids.^[5]

Now I grow this hearty and beautiful plant in my vegetable garden, but a couple of years ago I didn't really know what Kale was. O.K., I knew that it was a vegetable, but what it looked like and what to do with it I hadn't a clue. After learning of its virtues, I decided to give it a try. So, I bought a big bunch of it and stuck it in the fridge where it stayed for a little while until my husband Bob found this really great recipe on the Food.com website. We loved it and have made it many times since. The last time I made it I used dried cherries in place of the raisins and I think I liked it even more. I have altered the process slightly, but it is basically the same recipe.

Green Kale with Raisins and Toasted Pine Nuts

Serves about 2 or 3

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup toasted pine nuts

3/4 lb green kale, washed, stems removed and chopped into 1-2 inch square pieces

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups water

4 cloves garlic, minced (if I am in a hurry, I used the bottled minced garlic)

1/3 cup raisins (or dried cherries)

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. To toast pine nuts, place them in a small to medium nonstick fry pan. Use medium heat and stir constantly until light golden brown. Remove from pan when they are how you like them so they do not continue browning. Set aside.

2. Bring water to boil in a skillet with a tight fitting lid. Add kale and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the kale is just tender, a beautiful dark green. Drain and remove the Kale to another bowl and set aside.

3. Rinse out the skillet, dry, add olive oil and heat over low heat. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, then and raisins and stir for another 30 seconds. The raisins should be slightly puffed.

4. Add kale back into the skillet with the garlic and raisins. Stir, season and saute on medium heat just until heated through so as to not over cook the kale.

5. Garnish with the pine nuts and serve.