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“I would love to eat better but I just don’t have the time.” I completely understand. In fact, I used to say this a lot myself. It’s one of the reasons food delivery services are so popular now days. But with a little planning anyone can eat healthy, delicious food. And you can make it yourself. Take my Marinated Kale Salad with Tangy Rice and Chickpeas for example. Cheap and easy to make, not to mention satisfying to eat, this dish will restore your faith in home cooking.
I first started exploring recipe blogs because I was looking for tricks and tips on how to make my food more interesting. I wanted my people (and myself) to eat more veg but my repertoire was pretty limited. Often veggies are an afterthought in a dish. But the vegetarian recipe blogs I came across showed me that vegetables could be the hero. Simply cooking something in a different way or using different spices can elevate a dish from boring to delish!
I really enjoy cooking and feel pretty confident in my kitchen but this hasn’t always been the case. I had planned on becoming a famous entertainer with a personal chef so I never really bothered to learn how to cook when I was younger. Some of that was a reaction to being raised by immigrant parents. Our culture prized a woman’s ability to keep a clean house and cook a good meal. So of course, I rejected all of that.
But then something awesome happened. Having the kid forced me to take responsibility for my nutrition and eating habits. So I had to learn how to cook. And I kind of liked it. Along the way I discovered I’m a feeder – I love to create meals for family and friends. When everyone sits around the kitchen bench for a chat and a glass of wine while I cook. I love planning what I’m going to make. It’s one of the reasons I started this blog. It’s totally cheesy, but I wanted to share my joy.
Which brings me to my Marinated Kale Salad with Tangy Rice and Chickpeas. Sometimes I want to create a meal that’s innovative and thoughtful whilst others I just want what works.
Although I love to cook, even I have days I want to keep it really simple – and just eat something.
I know that kale and rice are yummy and easy to make. They can also be made ahead of time. Think, a big batch of Marinated Kale Salad, another of brown rice, and another of chickpeas, made on a Sunday afternoon and kept in the fridge. Put them all together on a weeknight, sprinkle over some tangy sumac, and you have a substantial nutritious meal that works double duty as a side for meat eaters.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by having to prepare meals. Sometimes it seems like one more thing you have to fit in to an overly busy day. And not everyone enjoys cooking. I get it – for a long while that was me too. You may never come to love cooking but we all have to eat. And I have come to learn that having the tools to prepare yourself nourishing, tasty meals is empowering. So go get into the kitchen. You might surprise yourself.
Marinated Kale Salad with Tangy Rice and Chickpeas
Serves 4
1/2 a bunch of kale leaves
1 small carrot (peeled and julienne)
1/2 red capsicum (cut into matchsticks)
1/4 red onion (sliced)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup of cooked or tinned chickpeas
1 cup of cooked brown rice
1 tbs sumac (middle-eastern spice, can be found in most supermarkets)
Method:
For the Rice:
- I like to cook my brown rice using the absorption method. This means, for every 1 cup of rice you put 2 cups of water into a pot. Place your pot on the stove, cover partially with the lid and bring it to the boil. Now turn it down to a simmer.
- Once the rice has absorbed all the water (around 20 minutes), turn off the heat and clamp the lid on. Leave it like this to steam for about another 5 minutes or so. This will give you lovely, fluffy rice.
For the Chickpeas:
- If you’re using tinned chickpeas you can skip this step. Having said that, if you’ve never cooked your own chickpeas before please give it a go. They are sooo much tastier. It does take a little time, but it’s not difficult and the results are worth it. I’ll get off my soapbox now. 🙂
- In the morning (or right before you go to bed) place 1 cup of chickpeas and 3 cups of cold tap water in a large glass bowl. Now add 1 tsp of bicarb soda and 1 tsp salt. Give it a little stir and set aside.
- Leave the chickpeas to soak for around 6-8 hours. If you plan on cooking them for dinner that night, prepare them in the morning before you go to work. Or, if you’re going to do a big batch cook on a Sunday, soak your chickpeas the night before.
- After the required amount of soaking time, drain and rinse your chickpeas then put them in a pot with a fresh 3 cups of water. Pop them on the stove and bring to the boil. Turn them down to a simmer and let them cook like this for around 30 minutes. Depending how long they’ve been soaking for they may only need 20 minutes, or they could need 40 minutes. The chickpeas are ready when they are soft and buttery on the inside but not mushy.
For the Marinated Kale Salad:
- Remove the kale leaves from the tough stalks and tear into bite-size pieces. Thoroughly rinsed the kale under a cold tap and set aside to drain.
- Prepare your red capsicum, carrots, and red onion and place them all into a large glass mixing bowl.
- Now, add your kale leaves to the bowl and cover them first with the olive oil, then the apple cider vinegar and salt.
- Using your hands mix the dressing through the vegetables, taking the time to massage it all into the kale leaves. This softens the kale and makes it tastier.
- Cover your bowl of Marinated Kale Salad with some cling-film and pop it in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour. It can be eaten straight away but tastes infinitely better when it’s been left to rest.
Assemble your bowl:
- Time to eat! In 4 flat bottomed dinner bowls, place your Marinated Kate Salad on one side and your rice and chickpeas on the other.
- Drizzle some good quality olive oil over the rice and chickpeas then sprinkle with the tangy sumac. Enjoy!
