BYOB dinner party

I think it’s about time we had another dinner party.

Due to the overwhelming positive feedback from last night’s post, I figured you all deserved it. For being as caring as you are – for telling me your awesome stories – for promising me to love the young women in your life like it is going out of style.

Our first one, if you remember correctly, was our Mexitalian feast, complete with cilantro pesto and a piñata.

What?

You left before we busted the piñata out? I’m so sorry to hear that. It was filled to the brim with Larabars. Doesn’t that sound like the best piñata in the world?

It was. Sorry you missed it.

Tonight though – tonight we’re focusing on basmati. Or, as I like to call it: “The rice I keep accidentally buying whenever I want to make risotto”. Because if you don’t know this already, risotto does not call for basmati rice. Basmati rice is from India – not Italy. Meh, they both start with “I’s”, right?

Anyways, the Husband told me I could have a few people over while he’s out drinking beers and eating pizza with his boyfriends. He gets mad when I call them his boyfriends, but for real, they get more dates than me, so boyfriends it is! I’m hoping that if I use the term enough, I’ll get to go out on a date sometime soon. 

So, by if a “few”, he meant a “few thousand”, we’re good to go. It’s a good thing the weather has been getting warmer outside lately. There is absolutely no way we could fit inside my house anymore – unless you’re all not opposed to sitting on each other’s laps. But even then we’d back it up to the rafters. It just wouldn’t be comfortable eating rice like that. 

I hope I’ve excited you enough to come to dinner tonight.

I’m even going to be showing an DVR’ed showing of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” because I like cheap thrills.

I’m not going to tell you anything more about this rice.

Like about how high in protein it is.

How incredibly high in fiber it is.

How insanely delicious it is.

Because that would just ruin the fun.

And nothing screams fun like green peas in rice.

Anyone else with me?

Satisfying Basmati Rice (serves 2 main dishes or 4 side dishes)

• 3/4 cup basmati rice, dry
• 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup white wine (I used a chardonnay, but any white is good to go)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 cups prepared navy beans
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 cup frozen (or canned) artichoke hearts
• 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. parsley
• 1/2 tsp. basil

I promise the ingredient list isn’t as long as it looks.

Directions: Begin by sautéing your onion and garlic in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally, as burnt garlic is no fun – and you basically have to start over if you burn your garlic. Trust me on this one.

Once your onion and garlic are translucent and fragrant, add your basmati rice, broth, and white wine. Feel free to pour yourself a glass while you’re cooking. A glass of wine a day is supposed to be good for your heart. Don’t want to use a glass? You can just take a swig from the bottle. No. Big. Deal.

Stir, stir, stir… because you “thought” you were making risotto – okay, you don’t really have to stir.

While you’re waiting for your liquid to come to a rapid boil, get out that food processor and throw in your navy beans, water, and lemon juice. Process until smooth.

Once your liquid is boiling, add your pureed navy beans to the mix and stir until smooth. Add your spices and nutritional yeast, and turn the heat down to medium low and cover.

Allow your rice to cook according to package directions (mine was for about 45 minutes). Once your rice is tender, add your frozen peas and gently stir until equally distributed into your rice.

Bowl your rice and top with artichoke hearts.

Sometimes, I use beans as my secret defense weapon for my husband. Sure he likes chili, but he puts up his nose and scoffs at anything else that has beans in it. Little does he know I have put beans in his rice, his mashed potatoes, his baked goods – just about everything I’ve made for him has had beans in it at some point.

Oh, and he doesn’t like peas either – but he gobbled this right up and asked for seconds. Hmm… he’s either still playing the “I better eat whatever she gives me so she doesn’t cry” card or he is actually starting to like “my” food.

Whatever the case may be, I’m going to take it.

You don’t have to worry about the Husband eating your portion of the rice though – he’s out with his boyfriends, remember?

So I have enough for… me.

Sorry friends, I’m really bad at this whole “hosting a dinner party” thing. That’s why I have a blog.

This is a BYOB (Bring Your Own Basmati) event – I hope you’ll still come.

I’ll get another piñata just in case you need to be swayed.

Question: Do you have any crazy dinner party stories? Stories about piñatas? Stories about hiding secret ingredients in recipes?

PS – Don’t forget to enter my Kelapo Coconut Oil giveaway! It ends Saturday night!

Tagged as: artichokes, basmati rice, cooking, high fiber, high protein, peas, recipe, special diet, vegan recipe