This _______ is missing something...

These words are spoken quite often when the boyfriend and I are making dinner. No matter how good a recipe sounds, it sometimes is missing that little extra something to make it awesome.

Perfect example was tonight's dinner. Thanks to a very generous friend that let me borrow her copy of the vegan soup bible, I've been in total soup mode. Tonight I tried the Arborio Rice Soup with Spring Vegetables. Very simple spring soup that packs a lot of flavor and has an awesome texture thanks to the rice. Arborio rice is most commonly used in risotto because of the creamy texture it provides. TMYK!

So, after the soup had a chance to simmer for about 20 minutes, I gave it a taste. I thought it was good, but I wanted a second opinion. After tasting, the boyfriend said those few words that makes me do a mental inventory of my kitchen..."It's missing something...".

What you need:
*items have been added for awesome flavor

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 32oz carton of low sodium vegetable broth
4 C. water (although I only used 3)
3/4 C. raw arborio rice
8oz of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. dried basil
2 C. slender asparagus stalks, cut into 1/2 inch lengths
1 C. thawed frozen peas, or fresh peas
1 C. diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 or 1/2 C. minced fresh parsley
1/4 C. sliced, oil cured sun dried tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
*2 whole sprigs of fresh rosemary

What you do:
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium-low heat until both are golden.

Add the broth, 2 cups of water, rice, mushrooms and basil (if your using dried parsley instead of fresh, add it now and use about 1 tsp). Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rice is tender.

Stir in the asparagus and remaining cups of water (this is where I omitted one cup of water). Add the rosemary. Cover and cook for 5 minuets longer.

Add the peas, tomatoes, parsley (if using fresh), and dried tomatoes. Heat through, and add more water as needed to give the soup a thick but still soupy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.