A Quick Word About Dirt

Late last night, way past the hour that I should have eaten, I was fixin' for a good dinner. Having eaten pretty much the same thing the past few nights, I decided to cook a lovely, refreshing, hearty meal. So off to the supermarket I ventured, and found among other things, a beautiful, dark green head of leafy kale, on sale no less! Estatic about my find, I was so excited to steam it that I merely bypassed the washing phase of the process.

Now somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind there was a voice urging me to give this lettuce relative a good rinse. But in my zeal, it was promptly ignored. In went the kale with a saute of onions, garlic, lemon juice, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. A perfect combination if you ask me. There may have even been a clove or two of garlic in there also. But as I took that first bite of what I thought would be satisfying, my mouth was filled with the sediment-y, crunchy sensation one only knows as dirt.

To spare yourself the horror of ruining a perfecly good dish, I warn you, wash your kale!

Chickpea Kale Saute
(these values are loose and can be altered according to taste)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can chickpeas

1/2 red onion

2 cloves garlic

1 bunch chopped and WASHED kale, (about 2 huge handfuls)

1 splash lemon juice

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 splashes balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oil in a saucepan on medium. Saute chopped onions until soft. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Dump can of chickpeas into saucepan. Add tomatoes. Cook for around 5 minutes. Add kale to pot. Add 1/4 cup water and lemon juice. Cover. Cook until the kale is completely wilted. Remove from heat and drain mixture. Place in bowl. Splash with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.