Chickpea Pizza Soup

& off to a good start!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

I’m feeling really good this week, and I think a lot of it has to do with some changed habits (hello new year motivation). I mentioned last week that I pulled out a big stack of cookbooks, and I hand wrote a little meal plan/inspiration sheet with recipes that I wanted to make from each cookbook along with my own recipe ideas that came as a result of browsing through these books. That helped me plan my upcoming content as well as gave me dinner ideas for foods I wanted to cook just for fun. I’m reconnecting with slow, mindful cooking at dinner, and it has been so nice I cannot even tell you.

My mom, sister, and I started an adult ballet class, and I find that anytime I start a new activity or reconnect with a hobby from my childhood, I end up feeling really excited. I was a dancer when I was younger, and I even made it to pointe, but I stopped when I was 15. I also always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with ballet — I loved dancing, but I hated the strict, cut-throat teaching style of many classic ballet teachers. This class was much more laid back, so I was able to connect with the art and movement without the anxiety of having to be too buttoned up. Plus, it brought me right back to my childhood — so much nostalgia.

I also mentioned last week that I have been trying to shift my relationship with the internet, and wow, I’m already seeing such a difference. Beyond anything, I think being mindful about scrolling has had the biggest impact — if I’m just swiping on and on and engaging with nothing, glazing over, then I just GET OFF. It isn’t bringing me joy anyway, so why waste my time. If I’m engaged in something, then I need to give it my attention and engage. Otherwise, bye!

So, yeah! I’m in a motivated era right now, and I really hope to keep it that way. But for now, I will relish in this good feeling!

THINGS I’M LOVING

Grant and I are going to Mexico with his family in just a couple weeks, and I wanted to get a few pieces to take with me on the trip. This Crochet Hat from Faithfull the Brand was on sale, so I snagged it. Gotta protect that face from the sun! Plus, it’s super cute and easy to pack.

I got the black Birkenstock Boston Clogs for Christmas, and I loooove them. I know they’re trendy right now, but I actually think the black over those tan ones is the MOVE. Less dirt shown, and they look so cute with my outfits. I’m just a Birkenstock gal forever — I find them to be sooo comfortable.

I am just over 100 pages into Wellness by Nathan Hill, so I can’t give a full review yet, but I am definitely enjoying it so far. The writing is really clever and engaging, and I actually feel motivated to pick up my book every night, so I consider that a win.

RECIPE!

I don’t even remember how or why it happened, but when this recipe came to me last week, and I knew it was going to be a good one. I envisioned a classic tomato soup, but all souped up to taste like a pizza (pun intended). I added some chickpeas for protein and starch (because, pizza), basil and oregano for those classic pizza herbs, kale for nutrition, and pepperoni because again, pizza!

If you want to make this dish vegetarian or vegan, just leave out the cheese and pepperoni. It’s definitely much less like a pizza this way, but still delicious! The broth already uses vegetable broth and coconut milk, so it is already dairy free and veg!

If you want to make this soup even more pizza-y, you can add up some chopped pepperoni in the broth when you add the kale and chickpeas, in addition to putting it on top.

Also, I used a sharp white cheddar here because shredded mozzarella isn’t my fave, but you can always use mozz here to make it more like a traditional pizza. Parmesan would be delicious too!

Chickpea Pizza Soup

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 pints tomatoes (20 oz)

• 2 shallots, chopped

• 1 head of garlic

• A few sprigs fresh oregano (plus more, for garnish)

• Crushed red pepper

• ½ cup coconut milk

• 2 cups vegetable broth, divided

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped

• 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 5-6 basil leaves, thinly sliced (plus more for garnish)

• 1/4 cup grated white cheddar (can also use mozzarella)

• 1 oz pepperoni, quartered (about 1/4 cup)

• Olive oil

• Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add tomatoes and shallots to a large baking dish. Remove the excess paper from your head of garlic, and slice off the top 1/4 inch. Add to the baking dish along with oregano sprigs, and drizzle with enough olive to lightly coat everything. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper, and bake 40-45 minutes until tomatoes have burst.

2. Let everything cool slightly, and then transfer to a blender (removing the garlic cloves from their skin). Add the coconut milk, 1 cup of broth, dried oregano, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.

3. Add the mixture to a large pot on medium heat. Once it’s warm and bubbling, add the kale, chickpeas, basil, and the remaining 1 cup broth. Cook for 4-5 minutes until kale has cooked down.

4. Transfer to bowls and top with cheese, pepperoni, some more fresh oregano, and fresh basil, if desired. Finish off with a drizzle of olive oil (I used garlic oil) and another pinch of crushed red pepper.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

To kick off the year, paid subscribers received a recipe for a Pecorino Fried Egg Breakfast Sandwich with Garlicky Sun Dried Tomato Mayo! I love a breakfast sandwich, and this one was luxe.

Become a paid subscriber now to get access to all past and future exclusive recipes!