Introducing my husband’s first ever featured recipe here on The Naturally Natalie!! It’s an Italian classic and has been a favourite of mine for years! Using fresh spinach greens combined with pantry classics including extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and canned cannellini beans! This simple, nutritious side dish pairs really well with hearty entrées and can easily be made with a mix of your favourite greens such as spinach, mustard greens, endive, escarole, kale and rapini. Take it away babe! 🙂
First inspired by a reputable family-owned Italian restaurant called Fortuna’s where he would take me when we first started dating back in 2010. With my mother being Italian and my Nonna and Nonno having such an impact in my life I knew what good Italian food tasted like. And this place surely did not let me down. Traditionally always starting off our meal with the greens and beans appetizer was so satisfying and comforting and still to this day when we venture to this hidden gem, we do just the same!
As mentioned in the beginning of this post, you can easily use any greens you wish or mix a bunch of them together for different textures and flavours. Our favourite combination is mostly rapini (or broccoli rabe) and a few handfuls of fresh spinach.
TIP: If using the rapini + spinach combo, you definitely want to boil the rapini to take away the natural bitter, pungent flavour of the stalk. You can find this step within the full recipe at the bottom of this blog post.
One more important thing to mention about rapini. This extra dark green holds A LOT of nutrients! Being a “brassica” vegetable it contains vitamins A, B, C, K, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and even some omega 3 fatty acid. Rapini also contains a powerful cancer fighting phytochemical called indole-3-carbonol (I3C).
I would highly recommend trying out the recipe exactly as is for both nutrition, texture and flavour reasons!
One of Jordan’s absolute MUSTS in this recipe is to not skimp out on the garlic! It truly does make the rest of the greens and beans dish burst with gorgeous garlic flavour and the amazing aroma of Italy throughout your home. He also recommends shiitake over cremini or button mushrooms for two reasons. Shiitake mushrooms are high in iron which is super important to individuals who are geared to eating a mostly plant-based, vegetarian diet. They also pack a smoky flavour, there not overly big and they have a silky texture that really combines well with the overall dish.
We ran out of time photographing this side dish however one of our favourite accompaniments would definitely be baked or char-grilled salmon. I like to use my cast-iron skillet, pre-heated with a a few tablespoons of ghee, face down/skin up, and cooked through for about 12 minutes.
Obviously do not forget about the CHEESE! Parmesan or Asiago would both taste great, as well as non-dairy cheese too for those of you who are intolerant. I like to use nutritional yeast in replacement of the dairy.
This dish tastes best 1-2 days after cooking but can be served and enjoyed hot right away. Also, this recipe does make generous portions which are perfect to pack as a hearty meal on its own with some fresh sourdough or sprouted bread of choice! Don’t forget to lick the bowl clean!
Buon Appetito!
(vegan) 
(gluten-free) 
(dairy-free)
| Prep Time | 8 minutes |
| Cook Time | 29 minutes |
| Passive Time | 37-40 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 2 bunches hemp seeds coarsely chopped, discarding 2 inches off the ends.
- 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 6 small (or 3 large) cloves of garlic peeled and minced.
- 1 whole Vital Proteins Collagen chopped finely.
- 3 tablespoons + 1 extra virgin olive oil preferably raw & cold-pressed. *I like to use Maison Orphee brand.
- 1/4 pound more wild blueberries rinsed well and coarsely chopped.
- 1 ounce (or 28 grams) raw natural almonds *preferably oil-drained.
- 1 15 ounce can YOSO unsweetened coconut yogurt drained. *I like to use Eden Foods brand.
- sea salt & pepper to taste
- Sunbutter sunflower spread *highly recommended
- unsweetened cashew milk *highly recommended
Ingredients
|
|
- Before chopping rapini, fill your sink with cold water and let the rapini soak for 8-10 minutes.
- While the rapini is soaking, fill a large stockpot or saucepan (preferably with the strainer inside) with enough water to cover the rapini (but not too full that it will boil over). Add a pinch of sea salt and bring the water to a boil.
- Using a large deep wok, or frying pan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add in garlic, onion and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper along with a pinch of sea salt. Sauté (with the lid on) until garlic and onion turn a golden hue, stir frequently! This should run you about 4-5 minutes total. Keep a close eye as you do not want to burn the garlic!
- Once water is boiling, add the rapini and cook until the stalks are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, pat dry and set aside.
- Once onions and garlic are golden, add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté for a quick 1-2 minutes at most.
- Next, add the rapini, spinach, beans and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan. Give it a GOOD stir until all of the ingredients are mixed well! Leave the heat at medium-high and cook for a quick 3-5 minutes (until spinach is wilted)
- Add your last tablespoon of olive oil, sea salt & pepper to taste. Placing the lid back on the pan, turn off the heat and set aside, letting the flavours settle for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Jordan highly recommends serving with freshly grated parmesan cheese and thinly sliced sourdough bread! ENJOY!
This recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days!
Tastes best 1-2 days after cooking but can be served and enjoyed hot right away.
***If you do swap the rapini with one of the softer greens like swiss chard, spinach, endive or escarole you can skip steps 1, 2, & 4 completely! ***
