Diet Water – Recipe {Guest Post} {Mushroom Risotto}

Start with the mushrooms. I chopped them and mixed them in a big bowl. You want about 2 cups chopped. Sautee them in EVOO with salt & pepper until they are tender, and set them aside to sit in their own tasty juices.

Take a heaping glob of Earth Balance and drop it in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. In another pot bring your veggie stock to a boil, and then bring it down to low heat. You’ll be adding the stock gradually and you want it to be hot but not boiling.

Before you add any liquid, you want to add the rice (about 1 & 1/2 cups) into your buttery shallots. Most risotto recipes will tell you to toast them until you “smell a nutty aroma” or about 2 minutes or so. Any time I have done this I’ve found that no matter how long I cook the rice it is always a little crunchy. I like to just stir it until the rice is evenly coated, and then maybe another 30 seconds after that.

Then you can start adding the veggie stock. I add about 1/2 a cup at a time. Add it in and stir and stir until the liquid is absorbed (did I mention you would be stirring a lot?). Repeat and repeat until you have used up all of your veggie stock. Be patient, this will take about 30 minutes or so. Try to be on top of the stirring as much as possible but you can certainly take a break to prepare other dishes. Try a piece of the rice, and if it is nice and tender then you’re good to go. If not and you’re out of veggie stock, add hot water (or wine if you have it), and keep cooking it down.

Remember those mushrooms? Add those in and stir them until their tasty juices are absorbed into the rice. Then add some spices to taste. Obviously the fresher the better, I’d prefer fresh parsley but I was out, so I used dried parsley, oregano and thyme. Sprinkle in as much nutritional yeast as you’d like to get a nice cheesy consistency.

As I’ve said, this recipe is very flexible. Try adding some spinach or kale right into the dish. Or adding some beets will give it a fun hot pink color and it’s also delicious! For a different taste, I’ve also done a combination of curry, tumeric and paprika. Since risotto is sort of a time consuming meal, and is really best when served immediately, you could consider doubling the batch and putting the leftovers into cake size balls in a muffin tin in the freezer. Then you can take them out as you please, bread them and fry them for amazing little crunchy risotto patties! (This might actually be my prefered way to enjoy this meal.)

Thanks for reading—I hope you enjoyed my recipe! Be sure to share your ideas, questions, or just stop by and say hello at  Hydrogen Jukebox!
And an extra big thanks to Drea (and Miss Marlowe) for having me!

Xoxo,
Katie