Savory Chickpea and Mushroom Rice

Savory Chickpea and Mushroom Rice adapted from Heartfelt Balance/Handmade Life
2 1/4 chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. of mushrooms, sliced
1 14.5 oz. can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring Chicken broth and tomato paste to a boil. Add herbs, spices and rice. Turn to low and simmer covered for 35-45 minutes (directions are for brown rice--If you use white rice, follow package directions for length of time)

Heat olive oil in skillet and cook chick peas and mushrooms until mushrooms are soft and chickpeas are starting to turn golden-brown.

Here's what you will need:

Put the chicken stock and tomato paste on to boil.

Add all of the herbs.

Add the rice (cook the rice according to the package directions).

Heat the olive oil in a pan.  Add the beans and mushrooms.

Once the rice is finished, add it to the chickpeas/garbanzo beans.

Add the Parmesan cheese.

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this dish.  The sauce made of chicken broth, tomato paste, and the herbs was delicious and could easily be used as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or even as a pasta sauce.   Yes, it is that good!

The soft texture of the sauteed onions was great against the firmness of the garbanzo beans and rice. 

I had 2 bowls of this dish for dinner while the rest of my family had take out pizza.  Guess what?  I didn't miss the pizza! 

You could always add ground chicken or beef to this dish if you wanted to make it into more of an entree but I loved it as a vegetarian dish.

Hope you enjoy!
April