C is for: Chard & Chickpea Stew

 Today’s recipe is one passed along to me by my dear friend Janie McCauley, a fellow Bay Area WSU grad (Go Cougs!) who writes for the Associated Press, and often covers a lot of the same teams as I do. If we’re not chatting about the clothes or the Cougs, we’re talking about food. Janie is really good about eating healthy, and she passed along this recipe to me a couple months ago. 

The best part about it is that it’s super simple to make, but very hearty and healthy at the same time. When the Giants are home, I work a lot of night shifts, so it’s helpful to make something on Monday that I can easily heat up for lunch throughout the week. This chickpea and chard stew definitely fit the bill. I used chicken broth, but feel free to use veggie broth to make it a vegetarian soup. I also used fresh tomatoes, but Janie said she used canned ones and it still turned out great!

I also added some garlic because I think everything is better with garlic, and some celery because I had it on hand, but the original recipe didn’t call for any, so feel free to omit that. I also like to tie a few sprigs of thyme up with kitchen string so that it’s easier to fish out after it’s done cooking. All you do is sauté the onions, garlic and celery and then add the rest of the veggies and chickpeas and the broth. The original recipe only called for ¾ cup of broth…which makes it very stew-like. I prefer a more “soupy” consistency, so I added about a cup and a half.

Then you just let it all simmer for a little while, and you’re ready to eat! I topped mine with a little grated Parmesan. Enjoy!

Chard & Chickpea Stew

by Jaymee Sire (adapted from Fitness Magazine)

Keywords: saute entree side soup/stew gluten-free low-carb low-fat vegan vegetarian chard chickpea garbanzo bean tomato

Ingredients (4 (1 cup) servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, tied in a bundle
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 cups diced plum tomatoes
• 1 bunch of chard, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1-2 cups broth (vegetable for vegetarian)
• pinch cayenne pepper
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese (optional, omit for vegan)

Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots, onion, celery & thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover and cook, stirring a few times, until shallots are translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Mix in the chard, tomatoes, chickpeas, vegetable stock, and cayenne; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Remove thyme and season stew with the lemon juice. Add salt and the black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

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Nutrition

Calories: 237

Fat: 8g

Protein: 7g

Total carbs: 35g