chickpea & artichoke salad.

i made this for lunch today. it was so light and fresh. and so quick and easy. perfect for such a hot afternoon.

i ate it all. (in my defense, i hadn't really eaten and it was a late lunch. i was famished.)

chickpea & artichoke salad
serves 2; 4 as a side dish

ingredients
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, quartered (and one tsp of liquid reserved)
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
5 mint leaves, chopped into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon parsley
salt & pepper to taste

directions
1. in a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

2. serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate until chilled.

3. if you want to be fancy, garnish with a sprig of mint leaves.

that's it! super quick and so yummy.

variation: for a more savory flavor, swap out thyme for the mint and serve with grated parmesan. 

enjoy!

love.

green thumb things: front porch spruce-up.

i've always have grand intentions of gardening & growing not killing my plants.

for some time now, i've wanted to grow some of our own things (even if it's as simple as herbs). but it was overwhelming at the thought, & stressful in practice. then i realized (because nick reminded me) that with so many hospital stays & caring for our little family during this last difficult season, there just really wasn't time for it.

but now, there is! i've been improving in my ability to grow things, & am really enjoying green-thumbing it (read: my new plants haven't died yet). so this weekend, we added some to our front porch to join my beautiful mother's day flowers.

tomato plant. i hope it's not too small (it's bigger in person). here's hoping for fresh tomatoes this summer!
if this makes it, i will be so, so proud.

daffodils!

mint & rosemary. hurray for hearty herbs.

i love our sweet little porch.

just because they're still alive doesn't mean i consider myself an expert. or even good at this. so, if you have any advice at all, please share it!

love.