03 May KALE-ING IT.
This past weekend started with catch up text session with my good friends Laura. Laura and I have been great friends since we were ten and we talk often, so we were really just catching up about the last couple work days and plans for the weekend.
In the conversation, she mentioned that she had received Chrissy Teigen’s new cookbook, Cravings, for her birthday. It’s been on my radar because I have seen this book everywhere for the last month or so. Bon Appetit did a fun write up on it and it’s been splashed all over celebrity Instagram’s.
Laura’s Birthday was in mid-March but the book had just arrived and she was clearly flipping thru it as we texted.
She wrote about Cravings, “I’m in love. It’s funny and everything looks yummy.”
Then she sent a screen shot for Christy’s intro to her “Il Buco-Style Kale Salad.”
I so badly want to hate kale, but that endeavor is impossible once you try these Caesar(ish) leafy bastards….It is, indeed, possible to love kale. Sure, it’s covered in giant garlic croutons and heaps of parmesan, but bitch, don’t kill my vibe.
I totally get it.
Kale is… kind of a cliche.
It’s been super-trendy. Buzz-word worthy. Maybe even over done…? (See also: Kale in desserts. Just. No.)
Plus… it’s kale. Touted for it’s nutritional benefits and superiority.
But, here’s the deal.
I have loved kale for a long time. It’s so easy to grow and even easier to cook with. I have even told Adam we should name a kid, “Kale.”
Kidding.
… not really.
However, I would be lying if I didn’t say that it’s overwhelming popularity has made me (and Chrissy, evidently) roll my eyes a bit and want to hate it.
But, try as I may, I just can’t.
In fact, just last week, kale totally made my day.
I ran by Greener Side Garden’s, a local greenhouse, and the owner Alan had bagged up a bunch of spinach for me.
HYDROPONIC GREENS AT THE GREENHOUSE. THE COLORS AND TEXTURES WERE AMAZING.
As we checked out what was popping up in the greenhouse, he also snipped a bunch of kale leaves and handed them over to me like a bouquet of flowers.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I walked back to my car.
I looked like a hipster bridesmaid.
Things got even more comical when I got back home a realized that I didn’t have enough time to wash the kale and bag it up before my spin class.
So, the quick solution?
A mason jar with a little water.
I admired the kale bouquet and even set it in the center of my kitchen table. I even contemplated keeping it there for a hot minute after I got back from the gym because it really was pretty.
But, then I got hungry.
Bitch. Don’t kill my vibe.
… I am 500 weeks pregnant.
And, my pretty kale bouquet became the following great meals.
Goat Cheese Lemon Pasta with Kale
Ginger Beef, Mushroom and Kale Stir Fry
All were perfect for week nights. And, no matter how hard you try, all make it impossible to hate kale.
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