Pan-Fried Cannelini Beans & Kale

1/2 bunch washed kale

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 can cooked large white beans (great northern beans, cannelini beans)

1 t fine sea salt

1/3 cup walnuts

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 t nutmeg

1 t fresh lemon juice

1/3 c grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Finely chop the kale, wash it, and shake off as much water as you can. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide skillet. Add the beans in a single layer. Stir to coat the beans then let them sit long enough to brown on one side (about 3 or 4 minutes) before turning to brown the other side. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside.

Add the kale and salt to the pan and cook for less than a minute, just long enough for the kale to lose a bit of its structure. Stir in the walnnuts and garlic, wait 10 seconds, then stir in the nutmeg. Wait 10 more seconds and stir in the lemon juice. Remove from heat and serve with dusted parmesan cheese.

Kale

Last week's vegetables from our CSA box were very much enjoyed, but not entirely used. We need to make a better effort this week to consume our rations and try some more new recipes! We have the same vegetables as last week with the addition of Batavian Endive and Mispoona greens (the snap peas were delicious, but more to come with the next box).

We didn't eat any of the kale last time. I decided to do some research and learn more about it. Here is what I found:

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is a member

of the Brassica family. Kale is related to collard greens, cabbage, and brussel sprouts, all of which are becoming more popular as people learn about their health promoting, sulfur containing phytonutrients. Kale also has alkalizing effects on the body.

Kale is available year round, but is best in the winter and colder months as the cold temperatures help make the leaves sweeter. This is especially true with locally grown kale.

Sounds interesting! I am planning to try the kale mixed in a large bowl with fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 t sea salt, 1 t olive oil, 1 tbalsamic, raw pine nuts or almonds, and dried cranberries. Once I let the ingredients sit long enough to compliment each other, I will enjoy it like a salad with my newfound favorite vegan burger. This same recipe (senza cranberries) can also be sauteed with fresh garlic and a pinch of cayenne pepper for a tasty side dish.

Another tasty way to use kale is to bake it in the oven at 375 degrees drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste, and (optional) nutritional yeast or seasonings. The kale will turn brittle like a thin chip!

Subs...This Message is for YOU!

The job search can be daunting with the district's budget in a continuous deficit and positions still getting cut. But teachers, keep your heads up! We will all get a job when it is our time. The school and staff and classroom and students, will all be a perfect fit when we do!

"You will achieve your grand dream, one day at a time, so set goals for each day. Not long and difficult projects, but chores that will take you step by step, towards your rainbow. Write them down, if you must, but limit your list so that you won't have to drag today's undone matters into tomorrow. Remember that you cannot build your pyramid in twenty-four hours. Be patient. Never allow your day to become so cluttered that you neglect your most important goal: to do the best you can, enjoy this day, and rest satisfied with what you have accomplished."

-Og Mandino

This weeks CSA box consisted of greens, greens, greens! There were a few new veggies we have never tried before:

• Butterhead Lettuce


• Rainbow Swiss Chard


• Spring Spinach


• Snap Peas


• Bok Choy


• Musselburg Leeks


• Lovage

We have been snacking away on snap peas dipped in hummus and salsa. The fresh spinach has added a nice touch to the veggie egg-white omelettes in the morning, and our best creation this week was "Hodgepodge Soup." In the picture above, Brad is enjoying the freshly homemade vegetarian soup using leeks and lovage.

Hodgepodge Soup

• 8 cups organic vegetable broth


• 1 can cannelini beans


• 1 can black beans


• 1 can diced tomatoes


• 1 can cut green beans


• 1 can sweet peas


• 3 large leeks


• 1 sprig lovage


• 1 green pepper, diced


• 1 red pepper, diced


• 1/2 red onion, diced


• Chili powder, garlic salt, sea salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

Love Your Veggies!

In lieu of being "green" and eating healthy, my boyfriend and I decided to support our local farmers at Abundant Harvbest. A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Hillsboro, Oregon, Abundant Harvest grows high quality, nutritous produce without synthetic herbicides or pesticides, so we get all the goodness nature has to offer!

We joined the farm by purchasing a "share"of the season's bounty. In return for our financial support early in the season, bi-weekly from May to October we get to pick up a box of freshly harvested fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. What we like best about CSA is that as members we get to know who's growing our food and the methods the farmers use. We get to eat seasonally, support local farmers, and eat fresh and healthy foods. We are also anticipating getting to try a variety of new veggies we wouldn't typically buy at the grocery stores. Exciting!

I Love Snacks!

Today I found myself thinking about snacks. I personally snack often to keep my energy up and my metabolism running and I am often nibbling on something in the classroom in front of my kids. Nearly every classroom I have subbed in offers a snack time for students. In my own classroom I might offer two!

Why? Because Kids need snacks! When healthy snack choices are made, they provide the nutrients and calories kids need for growth, good health and energy to get through the day. Studies show that when children's nutritional needs are met, it's easier for them to focus and learn. Well-nourished children have higher test scores, better school attendance and fewer classroom behavior problems.

Studies show that kids today snack more often and eat more of their snacks at school — both inside and outside of the classroom. Therefore, teachers can play a key role in helping children establish healthy snacking habits.

Teachers can take an active role in educating students and parents about snacks sent from home by communicating the expectations for nutritious choices. Try these strategies for getting kids onboard for eating nutritious snacks and to take responsibility for making their own healthy choices:

• Talk about nutritious snacks often.
• Share examples of nutritious snacks that YOU like. Better yet, join your students and let them see you eating a nutritious snack during snack time. Teachers are important role models for kids and what you do can send a powerful message.
• Encourage children to share what they learn about nutritious snacks at home.
• Ask students to demonstrate what they learn about nutritious snacks in the classroom by bringing in nutritious snacks from home.
• Take a Snack Survey. Classify the snacks that student bring for snack time according to the Five Food Groups and "Others" category. Create a graph and talk about the results.
• Brainstorm a list of foods in each food group. Invite students to create nutritious snack combinations.
• Feature a "Nutritious Snack of the Week" on a bulletin board for children to try at home.
• Have students keep Snack Journals.

Happy snacking!

"When You Thought I Wasn't Looking"

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you displayed my first report, and I wanted to do another.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you fed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you gave me a sticker, and I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you put your arm around me, and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt--but that it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you smiled, and it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking--I looked...and wanted to say thanks for all those things you did when you thought I wasn’t looking. 

By Mary Rita Schilke Korzan