Spring-time Risotto

I've always thought of risotto as a winter-time meal. It's warm, creamy, rich and filling....perfect for those chilly winter nights. Well, as I was flipping through Vegan Planet the other night I came across this Lemon Risotto with Peas and Scallions. It sounded like a meal full of wonderfully fresh, spring like flavors. I thought it sounded interesting, and wanted to give it a trial run as a possibility for our Easter meal.

This evening was perfect to try it out. We had a high of 62 degrees today, and while it was warm, there was that springtime nip in the air. This is a perfect meal for nights such as this. It's full of really "fresh" flavor, yet it warms you up nicely and takes that chill off.

The risotto is made with the requisite Arborio rice, cooked in a combo of vegetable stock and lemon juice. I was out of scallions, so I just used some diced onion. I did make a few slight changes to the recipe though. In the last 10 or so minutes of cooking I added in 2 Tbs of nutritional yeast. I topped off the finished dish with some grated lemon zest. We had some grilled asparagus on the side. The risotto definitely made the Easter cut.

I also made up another batch of Dreena's Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are unbelievably good. They are so much better than traditional chocolate chip cookies. I can't wait to wow my non-vegan friends (that would be ALL of my friends I might add) with these delicious vegan treats!!

If you needed more than just my word that these cookies are spectacular...................

How's that face for proof????

Mushroom Risotto

Last night I made mushroom risotto. It wasn't anyone's favorite, but it was good. Rob doesn't particularly like mushrooms, and the girls were both in a picky mood last night. I, on the other hand, love mushrooms and I love risotto (I had a fantastic risotto in Italy, tomato and basil, it was phenomenal), so it was a winner for me (and hey, I do the cooking right?? Sometimes they've gotta just eat what I like, plus, we needed a break from ED&BV!!). I started by heating 8 cups of vegetable stock in a saucepan. While the stock was heating I sauteed 1/2 a medium onion (chopped), and 3 cloves of garlic in about 2 Tbs of olive oil. Once the onion was soft and translucent I added in 4 oz of chopped mixed mushrooms (mine was a mixture of baby bella, oyster, and crimini) and sauteed those until they started to soften and get a nice brown color. Once the mushrooms begin to brown, I added in about 2 tsp of sea salt and a few turns of the pepper mill, 1 Tbs Spanish thyme, a pinch of oregano, and 1 bay leaf. I stirred all of the herbs in and added 3 cups of Arborio rice. I stir around the rice to coat it with the oil and then let it saute until it gets slightly brown and nutty smelling. Next, add in 3 cups of warm stock and stir. Let rice simmer, stirring frequently. As stock is absorbed add in more stock by the ladle full, stirring and simmering as rice becomes creamy. Keep adding more warm stock as the old stock is absorbed, until you've used all 8 cups. Once the rice was tender and creamy I added in 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and stir it in to combine. On the side I served rainbow chard, sauteed in sesame oil with a splash of tamari.

Once you've gotten the basics of risotto, namely, adding warm stock continually, creating a creamy texture, you can basically add anything you prefer. Just cheese is nice (and Rob's favorite risotto). Tomatoes are another nice thing to add to risotto. A while back I made a butternut squash risotto, that was perfect for fall, and I think next I'll be trying pumpkin risotto.

Risotto's are a very nice filling and warming dish. Just remember, if you decide to make this, or any other risotto, they do require a lot of stirring and attention, so it's not one you can put on while you are tending to clingy children. This one works best when someone is home to occupy the kids for awhile (try it as a Sunday dish sometime).