Hot Baby Kale and Cherry Tomato Tacos with Red Onions and Salsa

Readers:  If you also read my posts at More Time at the Table, please know that I've moved the blog to WordPress: http://www.moretimeatthetable.com.   Do follow me there!  (Migration by gorgeous and oh-so-smart daughter, Emily Suzanne Morgan--follow Emily @fightthebees)
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If you have tortillas, salsa, and perhaps a little cheese in your fridge, you can nearly always find something for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  If you have baby kale, the sky's the limit.  After the long siege of football games yesterday -- complete with potato skins, (recipe coming from son Sean…)

I was more than ready for something on the lighter side for lunch.  Like you probably do, I opened that fridge and couldn't seem to find anything.  (My mother would have said, "There's nothing new in there since the last time you opened that door.")  I considered running out and picking something up since I had to go to the post office anyway.  And then I saw the package of whole wheat tortillas on the counter and remembered that big bag of baby kale that needed to be eaten.  Hearty and heart-healthy -- and I might say really good -- kale tacos ended up on the table.  While we're used to tacos with meat or fish, I don't think you'll miss the meat.   Delicious food needn't be fancy, contain meat, nor must it come from a long recipe or clean out your wallet.  It can be just as simple and expedient as a few sautéed greens served up with a few prime additions.

One-Pan Salmon and Kale on Brown Rice

     Confused about which fish you should buy?  Download a Monterey Bay Aquarium guide...

When Dave's gone (he's my dishwasher), I lean toward one-pan meals.  I like hearty, healthy, and satisfying potfuls that will feed me a few times.  I admit to laziness.  Evenings spent on the couch reading.  Kitchens that stay clean.

I also adore fish cooked with or in vegetables; it's one of my favorite meals for experimenting.  As long as there's enough liquid in the vegetables and pan and the vegetables are done (or nearly done) when the well-seasoned fish goes on top, the meal is usually successful.  Fish salads are next on my list; I love them, too!

Red, White, and "Blue" Kale Salad for the 4th of July

Stay cool!

(Reposted from my more time at the table blog from July 2, 2012)

Where we live in Saint Paul, it can already be warm pretty early in the morning.  I'm a morning person; the earlier the better.  I'm also the daughter of both my father and father-in-law, because after I push the button on the coffee (pot filled night before), I check the temperature on my back porch.  In the summer if it's above 70, I sigh heavily, drink my coffee, and get out for my morning hike.  Why?  Because it will soon be 80, then 90, and today, my friends, the little weather gizmo on my iphone says it will be 99.  If you're a regular reader, you know what my house is like:

 

Salmon and Kale on Pea Risotto- With Music for Cooking

Here's another take on the salmon for one meal.  While this takes a little bit of time (risotto isn't as time-consuming as people make out, though), it's worth it as the leftover risotto is then lunch and perhaps a risotto cake in a day or two.  If you make extra kale, you can use it for snacks as this version is light, oniony, and crispy with a good dose of salt and pepper.  Try this:

Baby Kale and Spinach with a Roasted Chicken Breast or...

When someone says "greens," I guess I usually think of turnip or collard greens.  Southern parents, I guess.   And while I like those on a  cold day with a big pan of crispy cornbread, that big mess of greens isn't my style all the time.  Give me a sauté pan full of teensy baby spinach just barely heated or even cooked way down with garlic as a base for fish.  Lately I've been adding kale to that mix and having that for lunch. (January, you know.)  A few grape tomatoes and a pinch of crushed red pepper and I'm that happy.  For the solo cook, both baby spinach and baby kale come in those not-so-green (tell me if  you know how to recycle them other than at Whole Foods) plastic boxes.  They keep a long time in your frig, which is useful for anyone who doesn't cook two pounds of vegetables every day.

Here's full-grown kale.  Chop it and saute it if you can't find baby kale.

Greens Pasta--Pantry Meal

I topped mine with some teeny squash from my neighbor.

Once in a while a pantry meal is in order.  If you filled your pantry with things like whole wheat pasta, garlic,  olives, and olive oil...and if you have some fresh greens (arugula, spinach, etc) and even a piece of gratable cheese in the frig, you have dinner.  And you have a luscious dinner.  Good enough for you and, if you had a hankering, this is nice enough to share.  It'll stand up to a nice big red wine.  Did I mention it's vegetarian?   I've rewritten this little ditty with a few changes and also to make it sound as easy as it is, but the idea comes from Andrea Immer's (now Robinson) EVERYDAY DINING WITH WINE, and a lovely cookbook it is.  Thanks, Andrea!

Greens Pasta  2 servings

Cook up 1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (I like Whole Foods 365 brand best; it's tasty--) according to package directions.  Don't over cook it.  While it's cooking, saute in a large deep skillet 1-2 chopped clove(s) of garlic in 1 T of olive oil.  When the pasta it done, using tongs, transfer it to the skillet with the olive oil.  Toss well.  Add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water. Add 1 cup of fresh spinach, chopped kale, spinach, or any greens you have.  Throw in a pinch of crushed red pepper.  Stir in a bit of grated cheese* and top with a last drizzle of olive oil, lots of black pepper, a good dose of salt and chopped olives, if you have them or like them.  Toss one last time and serve hot.  A bit of grated lemon zest is another addition you can consider--even at the table.

*Skip cheese for Vegan option

     Why not add those chopped, leftover vegetables you have from last night's dinner?   Or saute a few fresh ones like I did.
 

Here's what the T-Tiny squash looked like before I cooked it.  Pencil for scale.

Thanks, Wendy!

Add a good book and a candle and enjoy the meal.

 Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,

 Alyce