Minestrone of beans, rice and cabbage - Minestra di fagioli, riso e verza

Minestrone or minestra is a light and healthy dish prepared throughout Italy with many variations depending on the region.  The preparation for this particular variation is quite simple but rather long and laborious.  It requires cleaning, cutting and cooking various ingredients (cabbage, dry beans and brown rice), but once you taste it, you will realize that it was time well spent.  Did I mention that besides being nutritious, it's low cost?

I fed 6 persons for less than $5.00 and enough leftover cooked beans and cabbage to freeze for another meal.

 

Ingredients

1 cup cooked beans
2 cups cooked brown rice
Small Savoy cabbage (cooked and cut into shreds)
1 cup chopped tomatoes or 1 can of tomatoes
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 potato, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano

The night before cook the dry beans.  Do not drain.
(I like to use Great Northern beans.)

Wash and cook the cabbage.  Save some of the cooking water.




Cook the brown rice.

• In a deep pot, add the oil, chopped onion and garlic, cook until golden. 
• Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Simmer for few minutes and add the potatoes. 
• Cook for 10 minutes.  Add the cooked cabbage and simmer for 5 minutes. 
• Add the cooked beans and cooked brown rice.  Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. 
• Add some of the saved cooking water from the beans or cabbage.  Simmer for few more minutes and serve. 
• Add grated or shaved Parmigiano.

You may also like:

http://casa-giardino.blogspot.com/2010/11/cabbage-and-brown-rice-verza-con-riso.html

http://casa-giardino.blogspot.com/2010/10/meatless-monday-spinach-and-brown-rice.html

http://casa-giardino.blogspot.com/2010/10/ceci-alla-pignata-chick-peas-and.html

MEATLESS MONDAY: Spinach and Brown Rice - Spinaci e Riso Integrale

There is a movement out there to have people go meatless one day of the week – The movement is known as Meatless Monday.  The movement’s goal is to have people change their eating habits incrementally.  I am not a vegetarian and I still like and enjoy eating meat but I think we consume way too much.

Why Monday? I think it’s the perfect day to go meatless. We all indulge on weekends and Monday is the perfect day to eat vegetables to cleanse our bodies and purge toxins from our system.  I, personally, do not have to change my eating habits as I have been eating well since childhood.

Fresh spinach

Spinach and Brown Rice

Ingredients
2 bunches of fresh spinach (2 - 8 oz. frozen spinach)
1 cup brown rice
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Parmigiano Reggiano shaved

Preparation
Wash spinach thoroughly.  Wash the rice well and place it in a pot with cold water (2 cups of water for every cup of rice) add salt.  Bring it to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer slowly for 45/50 minutes.  In a pan, add the oil and garlic.  Cook garlic until golden, add the washed spinach, salt, pepper and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.  When the rice is cooked add to the spinach and mix well.  Simmer for few minutes and serve with an abundance of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

Spinach and Brown Rice with Parmigiano Reggiano
Spinaci e Riso Integrale

Images: ©2010 - La Casa e Il Giardino -picasaweb