Chicken, White Bean & Kale Stew

The past three weeks were a pretty a fantastic blur of friends, family, coffee, wine, cheese, ginger cookies, caramel popcorn, dark chocolate salted caramel tart, roasted jalapeno artichoke dip, lasagna, roast beef, pizza, and…  did I mention wine… and coffee?!?

It is now January, however, the holidays are officially over and it is cold in St. Louis.  It is no longer the kind of cold that is trimmed with twinkling Christmas lights and warmed with hot cocoa… it is just January cold (and dark, but I will save the dark drama for a post on the February-funk).

In an attempt to not blow my New Year’s resolution(s) on January 1 or 2, I decided to head in the kitchen and tackle the remains of a roasted chicken.  I chopped and reserved the remaining meat for the stew and used the bones to make a quick and easy slow cooker stock, in an attempt to maximize our use of food and reduce our waste.

This is a pretty great way to up-cycle a protein and an easy and satisfying stew that will help you wean off your holiday indulgences.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped onion (2 medium onions)
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups chopped carrots (4 medium carrots)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups dried great northern beans (rinsed and soaked over night)
3 teaspoons salt (to taste)*
½ teaspoon pepper (to taste)
Rind of parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
8-10 cups chicken stock
8 cups chopped kale
Parmigiano Reggiano

PREP:
Place the remains of a roasted chicken in the crock pot (remove skin and large portions of meat).  Add approximately 10 cups of water, 1 roughly chopped onion, 1 roughly chopped carrot, and 2 bay leaves.  Let simmer on low heat overnight. Strain the stock to remove the solids and skim the fat off the top You can always use store bought stock, but may want to reduce the amount of added salt.

Rinse and soak 2 cups of navy beans overnight.

Chicken, White Bean & Kale Stew

COOK:
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Sweat the vegetables over medium heat until soft, but not browned (5-8 minutes).  Add the 2 cups of soaked beans and the diced tomatoes with their juice.  Season with an additional teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. Bring vegetables and beans to a simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add 8 cups of chicken stock to the vegetable/bean mixture and drop in the rind from a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  Simmer for about an hour until the beans are soft.

Add 2 cups of cooked chopped chicken and slowly stir in the chopped kale, one cup at a time.  Add additional chicken stock and salt, as needed, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

SERVE:
Serve with large shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and crusty bread!

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… also best served with wine, but then again… isn’t everything!

Kale Salad with Avocado, Apricots & Almonds

I claim that I am not a picky eater, which I still hold as true, but I often fall victim to the work-lunch-funk.  I seem to instantly transform into the world’s choosiest (that doesn’t sound quite as harsh as picky) eater the minute it is time to decide on lunch for the upcoming week work week.  I don’t really like frozen meals or just-add-water soup, I don’t love sandwiches, and it is too hot for my standard winter soups and beans!  Needless to say, I am always on the lookout for fun and easy lunch ideas!  I saw this recipe on The Kitchn a few days ago and was intrigued.  Although this is not the summer-iest of this season’s salads, it is delicious, filling, and holds up well as a work lunch!

Kale Salad with Avocado, Apricots & Almonds:
Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients (alter the amounts to your taste):
Kale (however much you like for a lunch-sized portion)
6-8 dried apricots coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cooked pinto beans
1/4 cup chopped coarsely almonds
8 shavings of Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 avocado
salt and pepper

PREP:
Wash the kale and rip into bite sized pieces, removing the tough stems.

Coarsly chop the dried apricots and almonds, and use a vegetable peeler to shave off the desired amount of Parmesan cheese.

Place the Kale in a large bowl, and top with: apricots, beans, almonds, and Paremsan cheese.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to coat.

Top the salad with the avocado, cut into chunks, and season with salt and pepper.

I do have one of those nifty containers for taking salads to work, which keeps the dressing separate from the salad.  The night before work, I prepared the salad as listed above, but did not dress the salad or top with avocado.  I placed 1/2 of an avocado in the salad container, to cut just prior to eating, and I prepared the dressing in the special dressing-compartment, preparing to dress the salad right before lunch.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie: I had no idea that you could… or might want to… eat raw kale!