a cheap healthy lunch: chickpea rapini melt


I’m pretty lucky to live where I do. Just around the corner and down the street a couple of blocks is my favorite market on the edges of Chinatown. Earlier this week I spied beautiful bunches of beets–2 bunches for one buck. A few rows down was rapini (also known as broccoli rabe) for the same. I didn’t want 2 bunches worth of rapini, so I threw one bunch into my basket. Fifty cents. Imagine that.

Sadly, I haven’t been in a cooking mood. Sure, I’ll make dinner after a lot of cupboard door banging and grumbling about not wanting to cook. But, in the end, because I don’t want to give in to my husband’s suggestion to just order in pizza, I’ll end up cooking something. This afternoon, I looked into the fridge and stared at that languishing bunch of rapini, just starting to wilt and figured that I had to do something with it quick. After an internet search, I found this on a farmer’s website. Rapini chickpea pizza? Well, I had all the ingredients and got to work. I made a few changes and oh my, it was good. Really, really good. But it didn’t seem like pizza. Maybe because of the pita bread, it was more of a melt in my eyes, so that’s what I’m calling it. Make this as a healthy lunch, dinner or cut it up into triangles for a unusual appetizer. It’s easy enough to make vegan by getting rid of the cheese.

14 comments to “a cheap healthy lunch: chickpea rapini melt”

  1. 1
    VeggieGirl   August 8, 2008 at 6:28 pm

    YUM!!!

  2. 2
    Bijoux   August 8, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    This is my kind of food! You are so fortunate to have such affordable food nearby.

  3. 3
    hag   August 8, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    ooh boy, that looks really good and healthy too! I love anything with chickpeas! And such bargains at the green grocer!

  4. 4
    Kate / Kajal   August 9, 2008 at 5:12 am

    This looks like an easy ready to go wrap … for those times when you’re not in the mood n short on time 🙂

  5. 5
    cookinpanda   August 9, 2008 at 9:32 am

    These are the perfect little lunches. They can be made on the fly, and they’re so tasty too. Nothing is more exciting than cheap (healthy and fresh) food!

  6. 6
    kickpleat   August 10, 2008 at 8:55 am

    thanks hag, it was super delicious. it was a bit surprising really!

    thanks veggiegirl!

    bijoux, i do count myself lucky!

    kate, it’s not really a wrap, since the pita does get quite crisp. you eat it flat.

    thanks, cookinpanda!

  7. 7
    eatme_delicious   August 12, 2008 at 8:35 am

    Ooo yum I’d like that for dinner. I don’t know that I’ve had rapini…

  8. 8
    Sara Z.   August 12, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    Oh, man, I miss the Asian produce markets of San Francisco. That’s one of the few things Salt Lake City totally doesn’t have – those cheap neighborhood markets. This looks great.

  9. 9
    cinderelly   August 13, 2008 at 10:21 am

    that sounds really good, i love chickpeas too. i am so envious that you live so close to the vancouver chinatown! i love going there when we get up that way.

  10. 10
    Heidi   August 18, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    Oh lordy, that looks soooo delicious, and using one of my favorite veggies, rapini! Awesome. 🙂

    Love this blog!

  11. 11
    Sara   August 19, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    I love pita pizzas. And this one looks amazing. Have a great holiday!

  12. 12
    kickpleat   August 19, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    eatme, rapini is a bitter green. very delicious! try it 🙂

    sara z, i’m thinking of moving away from this coast and away from all the markets i love. leaving all this ethnic goodness would be so hard!

    cinderelly, chickpeas are great…and i do love my ‘hood!

    thanks heidi!!

    thanks sara, the holiday was wonderful!

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