Quick and Easy: Chard and Chickpeas

This can be a snack, a salad supplement, or a meal. Just depends how many you eat.
This is one of those make-it-to-taste recipes, so no exact amounts.

Bruschetta with Chard and Chickpeas
Ingredients:
sourdough bread, the narrower the better (baguette is nice)
a clove garlic, cut in half
olive oil
salt + pepper
a few leaves (or more) chard, washed and chopped (instructions below)
a clove garlic, chopped
a lemon
cooked chick peas
red chili of your choice: fresh, bottled sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), or powdered cayenne

(Optional: If your lemon is organic, zest it and set the zest aside.)

• Slice as many pieces of the bread as you like, and decide from there how much chard and chick peas you want to use.
• Cut out the main stem of the chard and chop it so it will cook a little faster than the leafy part. Chop the leaves into a size you consider manageable to eat - I like to leave them pretty big, just three or four cuts.
• In a medium-size fry pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat, put the stem-bits first, then cover with the leaves and sprinkle in a few tablespoons of cool water, covering quickly with a lid. You want to give the chard a quick steaming so it will reach its rich colour potential and get softer.
• When the liquid is gone, remove the chard from the pan and set aside. Add some olive oil to the pan and let it get hot. Then add the chopped garlic and saute it quickly. Once it has any golden colour to it, throw the chard back in and saute for just another 30 seconds or so. Remove the chard from the pan and set aside.
• Set the empty pan back on medium heat and add some olive oil.
• Turn on your broiler.
• While the broiler heats, toss the chickpeas into the hot pan and mash them gently while they heat. Add lemon juice to taste, and more olive oil if that's how you feel about it. Salt and pepper too. I like to put some hot red chili paste in at this point.
• Place the bread slices on a cookie sheet and broil them until toasty golden brown, a couple of minutes per side. Remove from oven and quickly rub gently with the cut garlic, then brush with olive oil.
• Top with a nest of chickpeas and chard, and sprinkle with a little chili or cayenne and a bit of lemon zest, if using.

Repeat if necessary.