Cannellini bean soup with spinach

So many people complain about the cold weather. Not me! I enjoy the feeling of the cold brisk wind hitting my face. The air isn't humid like the summer and I'm not gasping for air. Of course, the cold I'm talking about is the cold of the southeastern United States. Yes, I've experienced the cold of France, Germany, and Austria in the middle of winter, but I even enjoyed that too.

Today seemed a good day to make soup. I looked through several cookbooks and stumbled across a recipe for Greek soup made with chickpeas and spinach. Since I didn't have chickpeas, I decided to use cannellini beans. I used some of the herbs in the recipe, but quickly changed the entire recipe!

1 large onion, diced

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

1 clove garlic crushed

1 tsp ground coriander

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

Cook onion in 6 tablespoons olive oil until tender, add other ingredients and cook for a few minutes.

I cheated and used canned beans (2 15 oz cans)

3 cups homemade chicken stock

9 oz baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup medium grain rice

2 cups water

3 Roma tomatoes diced

Add all of the beans except 1/2 cup to the onion mixture. Add the chicken broth and let simmer while spinach is chopped. Puree 1/2 cup beans and 1/2 cup water and add to the pot. Add chopped spinach, 2 cups water and 1/2 cup medium grain rice to pot. Cover and simmer until rice is tender. Add more water depending on constancy desired. Top each serving with diced Roma tomatoes.