I needed something interesting to go with my beans, that's where this started...
I've been reading and hearing lately a lot about rising food prices worldwide.  Earlier this year I read a book called 'Empires of Food'.  The book follows the history of many major world civilizations and the congruence of their demise with the failure to keep up with food demand.  I know it makes me sound a bit like a geek but it was a really interesting book and one that keeps popping back into my mind as I'm reading and hearing about our own looming food problems.  The difference this time, as I read in the book as well, is that we are affected worldwide because of the intricate web of import/export.  Can we afford it?  Most of us probably can, especially in the western world.  However, not all of us can.  Many of us are already spending a large percentage of their income on food and in non-western economies (ie. not friggin' rich) the percentage of income spent on food is significantly larger again.
As I've been reading and hearing this stuff, I've been thinking again about the things that we can do to help change the system... all Matrix style.
There is still so much that I can do.  For example, I don't can my own food (except for the occasional jam and the two baskets of peaches that I did last summer), I don't buy organic milk and eggs (because - I tell myself - it's expensive and we use a lot of it right now), I still don't buy local bacon (yeah, I buy bacon) for the same reason.  There is a lot that has changed over the past two years but still so far to go.  Rather than feeling depressed at the thought of food costing more, I feel challenged and even inspired by it.  For me personally, it inspired to eat and prepare more meatless meals, to take more care about where I purchase my food - especially meat - and to take more advantage of seasonal foods.  I HOPE that we as a society can learn to use our food dollars to purchase whole foods that truly FEED us rather than fill a hole and that we can get even better about donating that healthy food to food banks or places that need healthy food to feed and support people that live in our own communities.  I'm always looking for new ideas and adaptations that I can make practically that will impact the way that we all eat... if you have some cool ideas then I would LOVE to hear them.


So... I made bean stew.  Then, I needed rice to go with the bean stew.  I also needed to use some things up so that they wouldn't go bad and subsequently go to waste (that's another thing I'm working on).  So, I gathered up some ingredients and tried my hand at 'throwing' something together.  It worked... I think.  Simple, healthy and tasty... yeah, it worked.


Kale and Rice Casserole
serves 6

2 - 2 1/2 cups rice cooked al dente (just under-cooked)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 rib of celery, diced
1 lg bunch of kale (about 4 cups) or spinach or mix it up
1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt or ricotta or... you get it)
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used medium cheddar)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp salt
3 good dashes of nutmeg

Ok...
Get a big, oven-proof pot heated up on the stove-top.
Put some oil or grease or something in the pot.  Add in the onion, garlic and celery and swoosh it around in the pot until the onions get clear and wilty looking.  Add in the kale and let the kale cook down for a couple of minutes (might need to turn the heat down just a bit).
Turn the heat down to low.
Add in the sour cream and milk.  Let that heat up a little bit.
Add in most of the cheddar and the parmesan.  Add the salt and the nutmeg (throw just a little pepper sauce in there if you like as well).
Add in the cooked rice and mix it all up.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on top.
Bake it for about 25 minutes.
Serve... maybe with some beans....