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Be there with boots on

Early snow this weekend and winter boots are out for the duration, I suspect.

We are barreling right past Thanksgiving into the holidays. What with working and all, we hardly notice except when we suddenly get a day off. (I really need to think about Christmas, but every time I do, I give up right away because the logistics for the simplest things seem like too much work. Also, my PC at home has a virus and I need to deal with that. And what will we do for our holiday card picture? Last year it was lumps of coal. If I can't think of anything, it'll be lumps of coal again. We even still have the coal so we wouldn't have to go scrounging under the railroad trestle again.)

This year we had the tired person's Thanksgiving. We made all the things we like best as leftovers, then were too tired to complete the meal. Going straight to the grazing stage is not all bad, but one's meals tend to consist of a pile of protein and desserts.

By Friday I broke down and cooked what I'd been intending for the vegetarian part of the meal and then lived off that (and desserts) for the rest of the weekend. Oz had turkey sandwiches.

Chickpea and kale stew

14 sun-dried tomato halves, not packed in oil
olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 30 oz can (or two 15 oz cans) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon of basil
cayenne to taste
2 cups or so (about a half pound) of chopped kale (frozen is okay)
black pepper

Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into strips, place them in a small heat-proof bowl and add boiling water to cover them. Set aside while you mess with the onions. If the sun-dried tomatoes are too hard to cut, soak them first.

In a large pot, sauté the onions with the bay leaf in olive oil until tender. Add the garlic, cook for a few minutes longer.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, seasonings, and sun-dried tomatoes with their soaking liquid. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, add the kale.

Simmer for a while, partially or fully covered, over low heat. Stir occasionally and make sure it hasn't gone dry. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes. 45 minutes? Check to see if it needs salt (it probably won't).

Garnish with feta and fresh ground pepper.

I usually serve this with a mixed rice pilaf (with sautéed onions and celery, lots of garlic, pine nuts or pistachios, mint, lemon juice) or lazy girl's pilaf (stir some pine nuts or pistachios into cooked mixed rice, add salt if needed). This dish could also be a soup (just add broth to the consistency you like). It makes a nice green vegetable-including side dish for meat eaters and is substantial enough to satisfy and indulge vegetarians as a main dish. It's even vegan till you put feta on it.