So. much. heartiness.
Hello lovelies & happy Monday! Hope everyone had a refreshing and relaxing loooooong-ish weekend. I know I did, and I ate A LOT. There was a Vegan Shop-up on the Lower East side yesterday, which was filled with tons of vegan vendors selling everything one can need! Food, desserts, soaps, shoes… the list goes on. So of course, I took full advantage, and shoved my face with everything edible possible! I had this UHMAZING vegan hot dog from Yeah Dawg!!! and it was actually life changing-ly delicious (I’ve had my share of horrible fake meat hot dogs in the past. Ugh). BUT thankfully, this is not one of your average freezer section vegan quote unquote hot dogs, packed with chemicals and salt. This little dawgy was a homemade veggie-beet perfection blend, grilled & topped with homemade kraut & relish. S’GOOD! Check them out ASAP! You will <3 these hot dawgs, even if you’re not a veg. Promise.
Anyways, got plans for this week, OR Memorial Day weekend?! I know I’M looking forward to a 3 day weekend of hopefully gorgeous weather. If you’re planning on doing a lot of partying, or being a total homebody, this soup is the perfect quick meal to throw together, with barely any effort required. AND Bonus: my grandma approves, which is all I need to know it’s a good dish! Because I learned a lot of my cooking and many, many amazing homemade recipes from her, hearing she loves a recipe I introduced her to means EVERYTHING. And what is better than a grandmas love?!
NOW, let’s get chatting about the ricey-basil-goodness! First, can anyone tell I am on a total basil kick right now? If not, you will notice it as I post more recipes this week. WHOOPS. Funny story- I needed basil for literally one quick recipe last weekend, but they only sold it in massive bunches. So what else do you do when you don’t want fresh basil to go to waste? You basically add it to everything, and find a ton of recipes that require this amazing herb. AND OBVIOUSLY, I <3 rice, and anything that has to do with it. So when I found this original recipe packed with rice, beans AND basil, I was in love. I knew I would a.) love it more because it was loaded with white rice and b.) totally get the iron & protein I needed from the 2 cans of white beans dumped in. YUMMMM. Plus it’s Vegan so extra *win win!*
ANYHOW, let’s get cooking. Enjoy! xx S.
|Vegan • Vegetarian • Gluten free|
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 2 15oz. cans of Cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/2 cup white rice (measured uncooked)
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 6 cups of veggie broth
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- Italian spices to season (I used a mix of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, & thyme)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Large bunch of fresh basil, chopped
- Chili powder (optional)
TO BEGIN: First, start by cooking your rice according to instructions. While rice is cooking, dice your veggies and set aside separately.
COOKIN: In a large saucepan over high heat, add your broth, onions & garlic. Generously sprinkle in your Italian seasonings (about a 1/2 teaspoon each dried herb), and some chili powder if you need some extra spice in your day. Stir all well and bring to a boil. Once it reached a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium high, & cook for 10 minutes.
FINISH & SERVE: After 10 minutes, reduce heat to medium low & add in the tomatoes. Cook for another 10-12 minutes covered. Now, chuck in your beans, a large handful of fresh cut basil & rice, and bring back to a boil. Cook until just heated through for another 5 minutes, and adjust to taste with salt & pepper. And VOILA! There you have it. Super simple and super tasty!