One of my favorite parts of getting a weekly CSA is the abundance of fresh herbs. Throughout the year, I vary using fresh and dried herbs in my recipes based on the season, what I’m cooking and what I have available. That’s why, in many of my recipes, I don’t specify using dried or fresh herbs; I want you to feel the flexibility to choose what is most accessible when trying a recipe.
Throughout the month of June, I received a bundle of fresh herbs nearly every week. They ranged from parsley to sage, cilantro, oregano and thyme.
During a recent week, I received several herbs in addition to garlic scapes and cabbage (among other vegetables). While I get excited as I drive home every week with my overflowing bag of fresh produce, I also start to wonder if it will be possible to really utilize each item before they lose their fresh flavor (I’m still learning what can freeze well and how best to do that!).
While I know much of the country has been going through a heat wave (I hope you’re staying cool!), I feel fortunate that some of the evenings have been comfortable enough to throw several items in a pot, leave the kitchen, and allow them to cook away and then enjoy a bowl of soup with some of the freshest flavors available. Even if you’re trying to avoid using the stove completely, this recipe can easily be adapted to using the crock pot, which is one of my favorite summer appliances; just plug it in and let it do all the work for you, without heating up your kitchen!
Arborio, Cabbage and White Bean Soup
Keywords: entree soup/stew vegetarian vegan cabbage beans
Ingredients
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- 2/3 cup arborio rice
- 1 garlic scape, chopped
- Oregano, to taste
- Parsley, to taste
- 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 head cabbage, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 15/5 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup croutons croutons
Instructions
1. Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and parsley and cook additional 2 minutes. Add broth, water, cabbage and bay leaves. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Add beans to soup and cook additional 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves, serve in bowls, top with croutons, and enjoy!
Another “warm” food that I’ve continued to eat, even during this hot summer: my morning oats! I have loved bring able to add the season’s freshest fruit to my hot breakfast bowl, and more recently, I’ve also been adding a scoop of PB Crave! I was sent a package containing each of their favors to review: Cookie Nookie, Choco Choco, Razzle Dazzle and Coco Bananas.
The first one I dug into was Cookie Nookie. As the package describes, this a peanut butter with chocolate chips, honey and cookie dough flavor. Sounds pretty good, huh?
It is. With a smooth and creamy consistency, every spoonful is deliciously sweet (and way too addicting!). I’m already thinking of how incredible this would be to bake with and can’t wait to try the other flavors!
PB Crave is made using premium, natural ingredients and is gluten-free. In addition, a minimum of 2% of the profits from every jar of PB Crave goes to Project Peanut Butter, a non-profit organization dedicated to treating malnourished children.
~Will you eat warm foods in the summer?
