daily bliss: simple summer lunch: chickpea and kale tacos

I love preparing lunch during the summer. When hunger calls, I survey the farm-fresh vegetables in the crisper drawer,  leftovers in little glass bowls, Wisconsin cheeses in the fridge door. I stare into the pantry at grains and oils and vinegars. A meal takes shape in my head, and my hands spring to action.

Today's offering represents my new favorite quick leftover lunch: corn tortillas crisped in an oiled pan, topped with a skiff of some flavorful cheese (in this case, Gruyere). I spoon on a sauteed melange of garlic, onion, kale stems and leaves, chickpeas, and red pepper flakes, dressed with lemon juice, salt and pepper. A few slices of avocado completes the deliciously simple meal.

I read a story or two from the Sunday New York Times; I listen to Billy Collins delivering the day's literary history on The Writer's Almanac. I sip tea, iced or hot, and eat. Fortified, I carve out my afternoon: teaching, reading, dabbling, dreaming.