This is what comes next.
What comes after a ridiculous amount of cheese — give or take — when you’ve already had more than enough? After Tuesday’s cheesecake splurge, I reached the point of “too much.”
Too much of everything.
Honestly, I’m tired of acting like an adult. More than tired — I’m done. I don’t always behave like one anyway. I don’t make my bed regularly. I don’t always clean up after myself. Right now in the living room, where we hang out, I can see four pairs of socks ripped off after workouts, shoes, hats and empty water bottles. You’d think I could walk them upstairs or at least to the laundry room. But I don’t.
Every night it’s a struggle to wash my face. Isn’t cleansing when you’re exhausted the absolute worst? It really is. I push showering to the limit. I refuse to unload the dishwasher until dirty dishes are piled so high I can’t move in my kitchen. Between that and my habits, I have no idea how I’ll ever teach a small human to behave properly.
Recently I had to spend three days getting unexpected, expensive work done on my car while juggling a million other things — like making grilled cheese with peaches because I’m a brat and want to. After the third day, the service guy, who probably figured I had no business around cars (pink shoes and heavy eyeliner weren’t helping), gave me a loaner because I was having a meltdown trying to finish everything before vacation. That was kind.
Then I drove the loaner to Lowe’s, wandered the store too proud to ask for help, and when I returned to the lot I walked around for 10 minutes searching for “my car.” Only later did I remember I was driving a different vehicle.
I repeated the same rut at the grocery store — five minutes convinced someone stole my car — while texting my husband, who was miles away and not available to rescue my dignity. I was determined to buy toffee-studded chocolate bars so I could watch Crazy, Stupid, Love for the twentieth time with snacks.
And of course I returned home to no power. I’d left my real car keys inside the car I wasn’t driving and wound up locked out because apparently I expect my phone or some magic device to beam me inside. That was the final straw.
So I decided I’m done with adulting for the moment.
This chickpea and roasted-vegetable salad is exactly the kind of meal I make when I need to pretend I’m a responsible almost-thirty-year-old. Last week I made it and it was delicious — as tasty as beans and roasted vegetables get, and yes, I added cheese. No way I could resist crumbling gorgonzola on top. Put grilled corn and beans in anything and I’ll likely devour it.
But today? Today I might just eat chocolate. Because I said so.
Roasted Summertime Chickpea Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 poblano pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spread the tomatoes, poblano, onion, corn kernels and garlic on the sheet. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, stir, then roast for another 10 minutes until vegetables are slightly charred and tender. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly.
While the vegetables cool, put the chickpeas in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar and honey to make the dressing.
Add the roasted vegetables to the chickpeas. Stir in the fresh herbs and crumble the gorgonzola over the top. Drizzle with the dressing and toss gently to coat. Top with the chopped avocado and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.
Ahhh… I feel better already.