Kale Stew – First try.

I’m back in Saskatoon with a bit more permanence now, it’s kind of nice to know I’ll be in one place for more then a month.
New years was spent in the magical land of Portland, with a few trips to Sweetpea Bakery, Diablo’s and Bete Lukas. Though I didn’t take pictures of any of it, which was a change from the usual. My main reason for going was to spend time with friends, and to celebrate my birthday. It was actually quite nice to go back there so soon after the last visit. I miss those folks a lot.
Anyway, enough of that stuff. I’ve been cooking a lot, and it’s probably because I feel very comfortable in my now entirely vegan kitchen. A friend of mine passed on a recipe for “Kale Stew” that I am now in love with. I’m not sure where he got it (neither is he), but if you recognize it let me know.

KALE STEW

4 c. vegetable soup stock
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. chickpeas
1/2 c. brown rice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. natural peanut butter
2 c. kale, chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Soy sauce, to taste
Chili sauce, to taste
Sauté onion in a large pot with garlic. Add stock, potatoes, chickpeas, rice, salt, and kale.  Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. In a small bowl, blend peanut butter with1/2 c. of liquid from the stew and lemon juice. Mix into stew, adding soy sauce and chili sauce.

Of course, as with anything I make, I made several substitutions. Almond butter instead of peanut, lentils instead of chickpeas, and sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. It was very very delicious.

This weekend I’m going raw in preparation for a Raw Food Potluck happening on Wednesday. Well really, I’m just testing out a few recipes in preparation, and decided to make it a raw weekend. Plus I was walking through the grocery store and just salivating over the veggies available. I didn’t get a chance to do this a couple of weeks ago, but this week I’m going to try and sign up for a CHEP “Good Food Box”, I had some really good experiences with them a few years ago. And admittedly, I’m trying to reduce my food budget. Veggies are awfully expensive this time of year.