Kale and Pepita Breakfast

It's November and Winter is creeping in with it's icy morning fingers and late afternoon sunsets. Last weekend I was fortunate to spend what were surely the final climbable days of the year in Vermont with EA & PH. It was so nice to see these old friends and to pass hours scrambling up mossy, leaf-covered trails. Seasonal transitions are always a little hard for me, with many emotional mountains and valleys to negotiate. What do you do to keep your chin up through the darker, quieter months?

I've recently discovered many gems of the New York Public Library: The Doris & Lewis B. Cullman Center at Lincoln Center that houses thousands of records, scores and circulating sheet music (!) and The Picture Library, which is housed in my work's neighborhood branch, The Mid-Manhattan Library. These wonders have given way to a few personal research projects that are filling my mind and heart. In the towering pile on my table there are Bruch concertos, Berlioz duets, Brahms, Vivaldi, Ives, and Cage, a file full of cross-sectioned lichens, and Roni Horn's WONDERWATER, annotated in two (of four) books- one by Anne Carson and one by Louise Bourgeois, which I am reading simultaneously. How enjoyable it is to fumble through red french words and also to hold one book in each hand while riding the C train.

Another way to keep your cheer during the cold months is to eat a nice, hearty, hot breakfast. Here's a peek at my weekly favorite- sauteed vinegar kale and pepitas with nutritional yeast toast. Kale is resilient and can grow deep into the frost. I've noticed the leaves on the lacinato kale that I love are quite skinny these days, but I'm not sure if that's related to the cooling temperatures. To saute the kale, simply heat a swirl of olive oil on medium heat. Remove the stems (optional) and rip the leaves into big pieces. Add to pan. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of water and a dash of Braggs or soy sauce. Once wilted, turn off the heat and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle with raw pepitas and enjoy with a toasted hunk of bread slathered with earth balance and nutritional yeast!

Chin up folks, it's the weekend!
NRG