Rice and Beans

Here is a recipe I made for dinner a couple nights ago...

I got the idea for this recipe from the cookbook, “Vegan Yum Yum” by Lauren Ulm.  I switched it up a bit since I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes or a couple other things. It turned out to be delicious and quite hearty.

1. Cook the rice. Bring 2 cups of water (or vegetable broth) to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and 1 cup of brown rice. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for around 45 minutes.

2. When the rice is almost done, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add about ½ cup diced onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add in 1 cup of sliced baby bella mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are tender and brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Add in some chopped parsley, basil, rosemary, or any other herbs you like. Although fresh herbs are much better, if you use dried be sure to rub them between your fingers before adding to release their flavor. Also add in ¼ cup pine nuts, 1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed), salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and add in a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves as well as the cooked rice. Mix together until the spinach leaves just begin to wilt. Add in a little lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Yum!