30 - thursday

I am having a love affair with garbanzo beans - better known as the humble chickpea.  it's been going on since my senior year of college, when I was totally poor and would go to the grocery store with $100 to spend for the month (the entire month!) on food.  I'm not a brand snob on canned veggies, and any frugal shopper knows that a 10 for $10 offer cannot, I repeat cannot, be passed by.  so there were a lot of canned vegetables in my college life.  garbanzos are rockstar standouts.  they are protein-packed, low fat, high fiber (read: filling), and have a nice, nutty flavor when they are roasted or pan fried.  there was a not-so-distant time in my life when I was content to rinse a can of these bad boys, toss them in a hot pan with olive oil and red pepper flakes, roast them to perfection (crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, just spicy enough), and call that dinner.

tonight I jazzed up the old standby with french-cut asparagus, sundried tomatoes, and a generous heap of goat cheese.  I am such a slut for cheese. (mom, sorry if you're reading this.  it's only for cheese, I promise!)  garbanzos are so satisfying; you would never miss the meat in this dish.  

tangy, creamy goat cheesy goodness was the perfect fix for an accidentally overzealous shake of cayenne pepper.  so delicious.  and plenty left over for lunch tomorrow, too!