What the kale!?!

Whew, it's been a long time! It finally feels like Kira and I are coming up for air after two crazy months of opening up the coffee shop. We're almost finished dismantling the piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and junk mail that accumulated while we were spending 12-14 hours a day in the shop. And--thankfully--we're finding time to cook again. One can only live on veggie burgers and tater tots for so long.

*Side note: Actually, we can't complain too much about not eating well because every day we have a freshly-made, gourmet soup simmering away in the shop downstairs, thanks to our resident "soup-ster" named Katie. I hope all of you can come taste one of her creations. We should probably start a blog devoted entirely to her cooking. It's crazy good.

This summer, my dad has offered his farm as a pick-up place for vegetable shares from Country Gardens and Farm Market in Fort Wayne (we enjoyed some of their veggies and flowers at our wedding last summer). A family was unable to pick up their box this week, so Kira and I became the recipients of a whole slew of fresh turnips, beets, chard, lettuce, herbs, and kale. I must admit, with the exception of the lettuce and herbs, these aren't things you'll often find in our refrigerator. Isn't it great when your meals are determined by what's coming out of the garden? I haven't cooked much kale, and I was excited to see what it's like, so that's what we broke out first. After consulting From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce, and finding a recipe for "Wonderfully Easy Pasta with Kale," here's what I threw together for lunch:

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Sauteed Kale and Slow-Roasted Chicken

Your preferred amount of your favorite whole-wheat pasta
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound chopped kale leaves
1-2 cups cooked chicken (I slow-roasted one of my dad's chickens last night, using Cook's Illustrated's Slow-Roasted Chicken method.)
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Boil and salt your water. Cook your pasta. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and garlic, and cook until tender. Add the kale and saute until wilted. Drain the pasta, toss it in with the onions, garlic, and kale. Add chicken and mix it all around. Serve, topping with Parmesan cheese.

*Another side note: The largest consumer of kale in the U.S. is Pizza Hut. Whaaaa, you ask? Don't worry--they aren't putting kale on any pizzas, even though it is nutritionally superior to most other veggies, chock full calcium and vitamins A and C. They use it to decorate the salad bar.