Garlicky Green Fajitas With Tangy, Creamy Tomatillo Salsa

I've missed you my bloggy buddies! I have a backlog of your wonderful blog posts to read, and of course I miss writing my own posts. All I can say is there are times in our lives when it seems necessary to put one's own life on the back burner for the benefit of a loved one, and this is one of those times. Plus, it is currently college application season and my firstborn has his sights set on twelve universities. We've already sent in one application, and I plan to complete most of the next three applications this week. My son is writing his own essays, of course, but he really doesn't have access to most of the information for the forms (past address histories and dates for in-state status, his social security number, financial info for student loans). So for the time being I am a professional college applicationist.

Food:  Forgive me for my recent lame food offerings. After college application season I will make more of an effort for proper recipes, but in the meantime I want to share with you something really, really delicious! I was making fajitas for the omnis, and had a real hankering for my garlicky collards and chick peas. So, instead of chicken, peppers and onions, my fajitas were filled with the collards. You've seen them before -- just lots of fresh garlic, 10 cloves, chopped roughly this time, and a pound of frozen organic chick peas, sauteed over medium-high heat for a few minutes, and then topped with a big pile of chopped collards, stems removed. I stirred it all up and then turned off the heat and covered the pot so the greens were not overcooked.

This collard concoction would have been wonderful on its own in a whole wheat flatbread, but I came up with a snazzy idea that made the dish sublime -- Tangy, Creamy Tomatillo Salsa. I am a lazy vegan, but I like it that way. Here is how I made my salsa: half a cup of green tomatillo salsa from a jar, half a cup of veganaise, juice from half a lime. That's it. Mmmmmm!

I'm a Kale Junkie

Lately, life is whizzing along at breakneck speed, so I've not spent enough time being creative in the kitchen (sorry). Nevertheless, the body's cravings continue to direct my healthy diet, and I continue to comply. There was literally no time for breakfast yesterday before my workout, so I was famished upon my return home. What did I crave? Kale. The smoothie is made from four leaves of kale, two leaves of romaine and an apple, with some coconut water. It was just what my body wanted. Since I didn't blend the smoothie with ice, it quickly separated, so I drank part of it with a little involuntary grimace from a layer of bitterness. Next time I'll add an extra apple and some ice. Bitterness aside, this smoothie was just what I wanted.

In life there seem to be periods of time -- seasons, I like to call them -- where it feels like we are not the stewards of our own schedules. I'm in one of those seasons right now, just trying to keep up with everyone's needs and requests. I realize the reason for the kale craving. Kale calms my nerves and centers my thoughts. The way I crave it lately is akin to an addict's desire for a fix.

Yep, I'm a kale junkie. Oh, the five minutes it took to drink it sitting at my little alfresco table also helped calm the nerves. Doesn't taking a moment to appreciate nature do wonders? I'm a kale and fresh air and sunshine junkie!