Well I’m officially feeling better. Praise baby Jesus! After 3 days with minimal movement and human interaction, I was starting to question my sanity. I’m pretty sure at one point Mac started talking… that may have also been the 27 ibprofin I took to rid myself of omgtheworstheadacheever.
But about this stew. I made it about 2 weeks ago as “lunch for the week”, and it was my first tango with farro. Farro is an interesting little grain. Much like quinoa, it’s a very versatile grain, and a fantastic source of protein (7g per serving). I used the pearled variety, which basically means the outer husk has been removed, making it much easier (and faster!) to prepare. I feel extremely smart right now. (Don’t be fooled, though, I’m sure to say something completely air-headed in the next few seconds.)
In fact, in middle-school, people used to pull on my ear and make a hissing noise, as if to let the air out of a balloon. Only because I was such an airhead, I didn’t even get what that meant. I also earned the nickname “Duh, Jessica” after an unfortunate incident in gym glass where I shot a hockey puck into the wrong goal. And yes, I realize it’s pretty funny, but dude, middle school was hard enough without adding fuel to the fire.
Really, I could talk about how much I loathed grades 4-7 all day. I mean, how is it possible that between the ages of 8 and 11 human beings are capable of being pure evil? Yes, I was smart and maybe I was the kid who raised their hand a lot. And ok, so I had glasses and was freakishly tall, but whatever. Excuse me for being enthusiastic about learning and wanting to be friends with my teachers, is that so wrong? Stupid mean kids…
Can you even imagine if we had Facebook back then? Oof. It literally gives me the chills.
Speaking of, you know what’s good for chills?
Offff course you do.
Vegetarian Farro Chickpea Stew
Serves: 6
Cook time: about 40 minutes
You’ll Need:
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup frozen chopped kale
1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1 T garlic, minced
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 cups water + 2 T Better Than Bouillon vegetable base (or sub veg stock)
1 cup farro, rinsed and drained
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: In a large soup pot, heat oil over med-high heat and sautee onion, kale, crushed red pepper and garlic until onions are translucent and kale is softened. Add diced tomatoes, cumin and paprika, and simmer for about 6 minutes. Add vegetable broth, chickpeas and farro. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until farro is al dente. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread.
This soup was way better than middle school.
Happy Monday!
I am JESSICA. Psst..My dogs are cute.