White Bean Rosemary Soup
Good morning and Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We made it back to Statesboro on Thursday afternoon and man it feels good to have all of our stuff in one place again. Don’t get me wrong, I love being home much more than I love being here, but when we are at home, usually our stuff is scattered everywhere: between my parents house, Dustin’s parents house, in our car and also the things that we forgot still in the Boro.
Immediately when we returned on Thursday, I had a work meeting to attend in order to help us get ready for the beginning of this semester. I found out that all of my yoga classes except my morning morning yoga class has been moved into a much larger room, increasing the number of participants in my classes from 25 to around 50, exciting but nerve-racking as well! I’ve never taught a class that large, but I’m sure after the first week all will be fine!
Not quite this large…but large indeed.
On Friday, I went to Savannah to do a Nutrition Education Presentation with one of my professors: we spoke to an 8th grade class. We talked about reading food labels and hopefully taught the students how to pick a healthier option. The students were so sweet and seemed very interested in nutrition. One little girl came up to me at the presentation and said, “Did you know we are getting a Whole Foods here in Savannah?” I sure didn’t but that certainly excites me! I wonder if it will be there by the time we leave in May? Wishful thinking!
Saturday, Dustin and I got in a quick workout and then went on a Boxer walk before I had to return to work again that afternoon but this time it was for less work and more play. My boss arranged for the Group Fitness staff to do the High Ropes Challenge Course at the RAC. This course is 40-feet above the ground so it was a little frightening, however it taught me that I can get through anything that I put my mind to, no matter how scary or challenging. The course ended with a zip-line down to the ground which was an absolute blast. I wish I would have grabbed a few photos!
Not the exact course, but pretty similar.
Yesterday, Dustin and I started our morning with an awesome service at church about following the dream that God has for us and not necessarily our own. Brandon, the pastor, said, “When your dream dies, only then can God birth His dream inside of you.” Something both Dustin and I needed to hear. After church I got in a little Insanity Yoga (Cardio Recovery), which is definitely the most insane stretching I have ever participated in. We finished our day with the point of this post, a delicious recipe to share with you!
Over the break, Dustin and I ate at one of our favorite lunch spots up in Cartersville, GA, Swheat Market Deli. I love it so much because they actually have vegetarian/vegan options that are meant to be vegetarian/vegan, not just options like “Can I get the Grilled Chicken Salad, hold the grilled chicken, please?” How exciting, a lettuce only meal. We actually ate there twice over the break: on our first visit I had the Lentil Soup and then when we returned I had the White Bean Rosemary Soup. First bite in, I knew I had to make this at home: it was absolutely delicious!
Little did I know, something so tasty could be so simple too! When I was looking for a recipe to use, the correct one was obvious, as it came up over and over again: Ina Garten’s recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I only had to modify it a little bit to make it exactly as I wanted. Both gluten-free and vegan. So, let’s get straight to it!
White Bean Rosemary Soup
Ingredients
1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (approx. 3 onions)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6-7 inches)
2 quarts vegetable stock (recipe calls for chicken stock)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions
In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch and soak them for 6 hours or over night (or use the quick soak method, as I did). Drain.
In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, vegetable stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Place the soup in the bowl of a food processor (or use a hand blender) and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.
I hope you enjoy this perfect winter recipe as much as we did! We are about to head to the gym and then I am going spend the rest of the day getting ready for my LAST undergrad semester which starts TOMORROW! WAHOO!
Good health!
Ashley
Hungry for More 
So weird, we were in Houston this weekend and I ate White Bean Rosemary beans and they were to DIE for!!! I’ll have to try your recipe out 🙂 Glad you’re back to the Donkey safe, enjoy your last semester in the boro!