Go green with this energizing soup

• I was feeling blah the last few days. You know, even if you are dieting, you don't eat right some days.
• The holidays. The kids' birthdays. The post birthday celebrations. The post holiday celebrations.
• Any excuse brings another excuse to eat poorly. We're all guilty of it.
• So, exercising kept on, but there were a few cookies here, a few nibbles of cake there. And, all of a sudden...there's no weight coming off (at least there's no weight going on either). And the sugar surplus just drops your energy level is at zero.
• Blah.
• Bulking up on your greens will help re-energize and will help clean out the toxins, but who wants to sit around crunching on kale for a week?
• I heard someone talking on the radio about green soup...a creamy soup that can serve as the basis of all kinds of hot, filling, toxin-releasing soups. I was intrigued. 
• So, off to the Farmers Market to load up on supplies and then to the kitchen to work up a few tries. And, finally. I pulled together a tasty, creamy treat that tasted great and was an energizing treat. Even non-vegetarians love this sort of treat.
• It tastes creamy but doesn't have a drop of cream in it. The creaminess comes from the rice. It tastes great. Give it a try.
• Green Soup
• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 3 cups of water, divided
• 3 tablespoons of arborio rice
• 1 bunch of green chard (about 1 pound)
• 1 big bunch of fresh spinach (or a bag of the stuff in the produce section)
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, or more to taste
• •Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
• •Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. •Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes.
• •Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use, such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.
• •When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.
• •Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.