kale quinoa tomato chickpea soup

Hi. My name is Jolie. And I'm addicted to Amazing Race.

I cannot. Get. Enough.

So imagine my glee when I discovered that EVERY SINGLE SEASON exists on Hulu! Hooray! 

After hosting our epic feast of a Thanksgiving this year, we signed up for a free week of Hulu Plus and took to the couch for the better part of the weekend. It was...well, amazing. (Warning: Maybe don't go all the way back to the first season. It's kinda painful. They hadn't worked out the kinks yet. And instead of high-tech, matching workout gear, many of the competitors are wearing jeans. JEANS! That, coupled with the lack of HD, makes it look like the late 80s even though it was 2001.)

Life is moving FAST, amirite? And it's only speeding up now that we're knee-deep in December. So here's a fantastic tip: want to feel like your life is moving at a normal pace? Binge-watch Amazing Race. Seeing those hyper teams run in and out of airports and bungee jump into jungle ravines and fight each other for rickshaws makes life feel downright calm. And watching multiple episodes at once lures one into feeling they have nothing better to do. Problem solved!

Partly why I've been so busy:

I wrote another piece on Huffington Post about the perils of commercial auditioning. Check it out here.

I also filmed a short with some friends that is up on Funny or Die! Check it out here.

I also concocted this soup that is served hot. Which means you have to slow down to eat it. It also is delicious and so healthy that it offsets Holiday binge eating.

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Kale Quinoa Tomato Chickpea Soup
yields 3 quarts
(serves 6-8)

This is surprisingly hearty for a meatless situation. And a clean one at that. The cumin and green chiles give it a great smoky spiciness and all those veggies and quinoa make it so tasty-healthy. Total cookie footprint offset happening here.

2 T evoo
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
8" fresh rosemary, leaves pulled off the stem
1 T ground cumin
2 15 oz. cans roasted and diced tomatoes with green chiles (or without if you prefer less spice)
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 bunch tuscan kale, de-stemmed and rough-chopped
salt and pepper
extra evoo for serving


Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, rosemary and a big pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the cumin and stir for a minute until toasted. Then add the tomatoes, chick peas and broth. Bring to almost boiling and then turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add the quinoa and the kale and cook another 15 minutes at a simmer. Taste for salt. Drizzle each bowlful with olive oil before serving.

xoxo
jolie:)

P.S. Thanks for coming here and hanging out. I have such appreciation for you! xo

P.P.S. Amazing Race is on TONIGHT!