Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Super fast Chickpea soup and summer squash pizza

Both this soup and pizza are spectacular. First, the soup is hearty enough that Chris doesn't mind it as a main course, he hates how most soups are mostly liquid and he is hungry again an hour after dinner. Second, the pizza has summer squash on it, making it healthier, and a great way for me, the ever Squeamish of squishy foods, to eat another seasonal veggie without the employment of roasting or a grill.

Ingredients for soup:
3/4-1 cup of hummus (I add the cup cuz we love hummus)
1 12oz jar of flame roasted red bell peppers cut into 1/4 inch strips (preferably piquillo peppers for a bit more zing)
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of leftover rice (or fresh doesn't matter)
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley (Lien not the kind you get on your plate at a restaurant)
Salt and pepper
Greek yogurt and hot sauce for serving

Ingredients for pizza:
2 oz of thinly sliced summer squash (about half of a summer squash)
1 pre-baked pizza crust
3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (we all know I added more cheese than called for)
Crushed red chile flakes
Few handfuls of Arugula (1/3 a bag)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 for the pizza. Meanwhile combine the hummus, roasted peppers, and broth in a pot and purée with an immersion blender (or do this in a blender). Then add the rice and the chicken and heat over medium heat until hot through. Once heated through you'll add the parsley.

2. Make the pizza. Sprinkle the cheese over the pizza crust and then layer the summer squash. Sprinkle the crushed red chili flakes over the pizza for desired heat. The bake for 10-20 minutes, on the top rack, until the crust is starting the brown and the squash is getting crisp. Technically the recipe says to broil the pizza, but eh it still worked this way and kept the apartment cooler. The time will depend largely on the pizza crust you use. 

3. Once pizza is done spread the arugula over the top, slice and serve alongside bowls of the soup with Greek yogurt and hot sauce on top.