chick pea & chard soup

with garlic and couscous.

this recipe was made up on the spot, inspired by the chick pea hot pot recipe at 101 cookbooks. i'm feeling a bit under the weather so i decided i needed some sort of soup; this is really the product of my need for comfort & a desire to use a bunch of random stuff from my cabinets.

here goes:

1 bunch swiss or rainbow chard, stems chopped off, cut to your desired width
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 medium red onion, diced
16 oz vegetable broth (i used trader joe's, of course)
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1 can chick peas, undrained (trader joe's again)
a splash of olive oil
3 tbsps lemon juice
3 tbsps orange juice
cayenne pepper
sea salt
cracked black pepper
adobo
thyme
parsley
oregano
bay leaf

saute spices, onion & garlic in olive oil until the onions turn translucent.
add vegetable broth, orange juice & lemon juice; bring to a boil.
add chick peas and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. simmer for about 15 minutes. add chard and couscous. remove from heat. allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes.

enjoy!

unconventional breakfasts

sometimes, oatmeal isn't gonna get it. freshly made waffles can be a really dramatic endeavor. so what's a broke foodie to do?

easy.

make a home fry hash out of 1 trader joe's vegetable masala burger, diced red onion, and spinach. serve with scrambled tofu or eggs.

if you're feeling indulgent and like a sugar rush won't kill you: smear nutella on your waffles, french toast, or pancakes. serve with bananas or other sliced fruits.

make a smoothie, or use your juiceman jr. to bring some greatness to your beverage game. apple + cucumber + ginger. lemon + orange + ginger + grapefruit. blueberry + strawberry + apple. raspberry + apple + lemon.

(more later)