Lemony Kale with Garlic

So, having my big girl home from the hospital this week led to some great lunch time togetherness. Yesterday, we splurged at Beyoglu. Today, after a trip to the hospital for some basics (it is not a chemo week), we hopped a cab home and made some lemony kale with a bowl of refried beans. The kale was organic fresh from Union Square greenmarket, and I shredded it the way we like (no one likes to chew a big mouthful of kale so cutting it is important...I wish Good Health cafe would get that message somehow!) and I kept my shreds short and child friendly.

I sauteed slivered garlic in olive oil to start (aiming for lots of garlic because Perry had no neutrophils at this morning's blood work and the very low white blood count leaves her susceptible to infection)...I added the kale still wet from a washing and covered it so it would steam rather than brown in the oil. (Olive oil should not reach a smoking temperature and we are pretty careful about that.) Anyway, I separately made our special lemonade sauce from fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a juicy lemon), a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, a generous teaspoon of raw buckwheat honey and 1/4 cup of water. Truly like a fresh squeezed lemonade. I spooned the kale into a serving bowl, dumped the dressing on and placed a few slivers of raw garlic on top...I was being a little garlic crazy I know but it might do some good...hopefully so might the kale with vitamin K and the beans with iron for strength. So, it was a good lunch and overall a good day...and, yes, we are letting her eat in her bed these days.