Kale Taboulli

My friend Katherine was telling me yesterday that kale is a complete food, and if you could eat enough of it to satisfy your caloric needs, you would never need to eat anything else. I believe it. Kale is low in calories, strongly anti-inflammatory, high in antioxidants, has a decent protein profile, and it's packed with chlorophyll. Once you start eating kale, you crave it. As for quinoa, it is sometimes called a super grain, although it is not in the grass family and so is not a grain at all. But it is definitely a super food. Combining quinoa and raw kale into one salad, dressed with olive oil and lemon, creates a nutritional powerhouse, and it's so yummy I could eat it for lunch every day. In terms of bento, kale tabouli holds up much longer than parsley tabouli--you could easily make enough for three or four days.

Traditional tabouli is a labor intensive dish, but not this one. The great thing about substituting kale for parsley is that, while parsley does not chop well in the Cuisinart, kale stands up very well and even improves, becoming dark green and tender. You can make a big bowl of it in no time. Both have the same dark green flavor--you will be surprised that you can hardly tell the difference. Usually I chop the mint leaves in with the kale. Chop the green onions by hand so they stay clean and fluffy; they can get slimy in the food processor.

Lots of dark green kale chopped in the food processor; can of delicious Greek olive oil looms in the background.

Once you have the greens chopped--the bowl above took about 5 minutes--you add in the minced green onions, cooked quinoa and dressing, and that's it. For a real treat, include chopped tomatoes and cucumber. I read yesterday that you can freeze kale without blanching it. Really? I'm going to try freezing kale later and see how it holds up. Here is the finished salad:

Gee, a lot of the salad seems to have disappeared. Hmmmm.......

Kale Tabouli

1 big bunch of kale
1 bunch green onions (in winter use a minced white or yellow onion)
1 handful mint leaves (in winter use the contents of a mint tea bag)
1 cup dry quinoa cooked in 2 cups salted water
1 or 2 lemons, juiced
olive oil
salt to taste
1 tomato and 1 cucumber, optional

First, put the quinoa on to cook in salted water. While it's cooking, get out the food processor. Strip the kale leaves from the stalks, tear them into pieces and stuff them into the processor bowl, adding some of the mint leaves to each batch. You can pack in quite a bit. Put the lid on, being careful not to trap any leaves, and pulse it until the kale is chopped and moving freely. Process until the kale is finely chopped.

Chop the green onion by hand; use the green tops and all. (When I was a kid, we used the green and tossed the white. When I grew up, I was amazed that many people use the white part and throw away the greens!) Also dice the tomato and cucumber, if using.

When the quinoa is cooked, remove it from the heat and fluff it up to speed cooling. Once it is cooled, mix it into the salad. Dress with olive oil, lemon and salt: First, drizzle on olive oil a little at a time, tossing as you go. Stop when each leaf is lightly coated with oil. Next, add lemon juice a little at a time, tossing as you go, until it is a sour as you like. Then add salt the same way. Done!

Night-Before Middle Eastern Bento

Hummus with olive oil and paprika, deviled eggs with saffron, broccoli, baby carrots, mint tea, tangerine, cookies

Most of the bentos you find online, as well as most of the books, feature Japanese food. And, of course that makes sense, because the bento originated there. But there is no rule that says bento has to be made with Japanese-style food. Sure, the Japanese have elevated lunch to an art and you'll find many great ideas, especially for the gluten-free among us, but if you search a bit, you'll also find bentos with enchiladas, tamales, calzones, blintzes--any food that can be packed neatly and tastes good at room temperature.

This is a nice Middle-Eastern bento, and it's a frequent favorite because the kids like it and I can make the whole thing the night before. Keep the ingredients on hand so that as soon as your daughter tells you, "Oh, yeah, you have to braid my hair in the morning to go with the Artemis costume for my social studies project," you can pack everyone's lunch after dinner.

Hummus is tasty with lots of different vegetables like carrots, turnips, celery, cucumbers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, jicama, or even apple slices. (Apple slices, or anything that might turn brown, are best cut in the morning.) You can also add olives, pickles, crackers, pretzels or any number of shelf-stable foods to round it out.  Make it more on the stiff side so it travels better--runny hummus can be a mess. Another easy addition to this bento would be canned grape leaves--I usually keep some in my stash for emergencies; they're not too expensive and they seem like a special treat. Sub grape leaves for the egg to make a vegan bento.

Hummus Recipe

Before I write the recipe, you must know that what separates good hummus from "just okay" hummus is the ingredients, particularly the freshness of the tahini and the texture of the beans. Sesame paste goes rancid fairly easily--keep it in the fridge, and if there is any bitterness or rancidity, toss it. As for beans, they must blend up creamy, not gritty. Sometimes beans cooked from scratch are fine, and other times they don't have good texture. My favorite canned beans are the Al Wadi brand: One 15-oz can makes enough hummus for 3 or 4 lunches, depending on what you pack.

1-15oz can of chickpeas, drained and brine reserved
~1/2 cup of tahini (two big blobs)
~1/2 clove garlic, or to taste
juice of one lemon
salt to taste
ground cumin to taste

Put the chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic into a food processor and blend well. Add the brine a bit at a time to make it smooth but not runny. Add salt and cumin to taste. Put it into silicone cups or lidded containers; drizzle with olive oil and a shake of paprika. Serve with cut up vegetables and apple slices.

Apple Slices for Bento

Cut the cold apples into quarters or eights, depending on your purpose. Put them into a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. (Some people add salt or vinegar to the water, but I don't.) This keeps them from turning brown for a few hours. Try cutting one red and one green apple, and packing the slices in alternating colors!