Sweet Corn Risotto

Such a yummy summer dish!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice 
1 small sweet onion, diced 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 cup corn (boiled and cut from cob or thawed if frozen)
1½ cups veg broth 
16-oz cauliflower rice 
1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
1 tbsp miso paste 
2 cups fresh spinach 
2 tbsp soy or almond milk

Directions:

1. Line a large pot with ¼-cup broth. 
2. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
3. Stir in cauliflower rice and cook 5 minutes, adding   splashes of broth to prevent sticking. 
4. Add remaining broth, nutritional yeast, and miso,    stirring to combine. 
5. Stir in cooked rice, cover, and simmer for a few minutes. 
6. Uncover and stir in corn and spinach. 
7. Continue to cook and stir until spinach turns bright   green, folds in, and excess liquid cooks off. (Risotto   should be soft.) 
8. Turn off heat and add milk to cream it up, adding   more as desired. 
9. Let rest a few minutes.

Notes

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 207 calories, 4.4g fat, 40.4g carbs, 6g fiber, 20.1g sugars, 4.3g protein 

Butternut Squash and Sage Oven Risotto

My mother made this for me when I was in recovery from surgery. I liked it. It makes a lot, though. Short-grain is in bold because it really needs short grain rice.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 onions, diced
1 tsp sea salt
5 - 7 cups vegetable broth
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups short-grain brown rice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
3. Add onions and salt, stirring frequently, cook until the onions are translucent and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add a little broth if the pot becomes too dry.
4. Stir in the garlic and sage, cooking until fragrant.
5. Add the squash, rice, and 5 cups of the broth.
6. Stir well, cover, and transfer to the oven.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes, stir once and check liquid levels. If the broth is not still covering the rice, add 1 cup or so of the broth, then cover and return to baking.
9. Check every 15 minutes or so until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy and loose but not runny.
10. If the risotto seems too stiff, stir in a little broth to loosen slightly.
11. The risotto should cook for about 90 minutes.

Notes:

• Serves 8.
• You can pre-soak the rice overnight. Cook time will reduce to 60 minutes.
• Recipe was adapted from the Omaha World Herald newspaper recipe page.

Sweet Pea Risotto

I love risotto, but it is hard to come by as a vegan.

Ingredients:
3 cups (24-oz) veg broth
1 diced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
16-oz riced cauliflower
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 cups cooked quinoa
garlic powder
2 tbsp miso paste
2 cups green peas
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
2. Stir in riced cauliflower and cook 5 minutes, adding splashes of broth to prevent sticking and stirring occasionally. 
3. Stir in 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, remaining broth, and cooked quinoa.
4. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. 
5. Uncover and stir in miso. 
6. Stir in peas, and keep stirring until any excess liquid cooks off (risotto should be soft, ie risotto consistency). 
7. Turn off heat and add milk to cream it up, adding more milk as desired. 
8. Cover and let rest for a few minutes. 

Notes:

• Per serving: 402 calories, 5.1g fat, 68.8g carbs, 17g fiber, 9.3g sugars, 26.3g protein
• Serves 4

Tuscany Risotto

About 5 years ago, I discovered risotto. I love risotto. Imagine my delight when Tuscany Risotto showed up about 1 month after I started getting meal plans from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. The above photo is one-half of one serving. The serving was nearly as large as my big plate, but it wasn't particularly pretty for the photo. I submitted this photo on Instagram as a part of the March Madness challenges. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp miso paste
oil
12-oz riced cauliflower (available from Trader Joe's in frozen section)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups kale
2 tbsp almond milk
garlic powder
black pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk tahini, nutritional yeast, and miso together. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Saute onion and garlic until translucent.
3. Stir in riced cauliflower and cook a couple minutes, adding splashes of broth to prevent sticking and stirring occasionally.
4. Add tahini mixture plus remaining broth and cooked rice, stirring to combine.
5. Cover and simmer for a few minutes.
6. Uncover and stir in kale until it softens.
7. Continue to heat over low, stirring, until kale incorporates and excess liquid cooks off.
8. Add milk to cream it up, adding more as desired. 
9. Let rest a few minutes.
10. Top with a dash of garlic powder and black pepper.

Notes:

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 404 calories, 8.4g fat, 71.9g carbs, 9.7g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 15.1g protein
• Add in some steamed carrots.