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Who doesn’t love a warm ,fresh risotto on a cold winter night? For that matter, any warm rice dish is comforting isn’t it?

Time for cooking: 25 minutes cook time, 15 minutes prep time

Servings:  4 people

 

Green Light Risotto

Ingredients:

  • 3 heaping cup of fresh basil
  • 1.5 heaping full of spinach
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 tsp EVOO
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp. ACV or lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup green peas ( frozen)
  • 1/2 cup edamame ( frozen, optional)
  • 1.5 cups risotto rice ( rinsed twice)
  • 5 cups vegetable broth (check notes)
  • 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts (garnish)
  • cashew paste (recipe below)
  • vegan parmesan (recipe below)

Method:

In a blender, add the basil, spinach, garlic, and pinch of salt plus 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth paste. Keep aside.

To a wide pan, add 1/2 tsp EVOO. Once warm, add the onions and sauté for 5min until slightly brown.

Now add the washed rice. ( I always prefer washing rice for making any dish)
Stir for 2 minutes with the onions. Now add the green peas and stir. Slowly add the vegetable broth approx. 1cup at a time.

Let the risotto cook for 5 min on medium heat before adding more broth. Continue this process until the last 1 cup of broth is remaining.

After the risotto is more than partially cooked. ( check by tasting it)
Now add the basil-spinach pesto  and the remaining broth at once. Stir to combine. 

Finally add the edamame, ACV and stir well. Let the rice come to a soft boil approx. 4-5 minutes. Turn the heat off. 

Serve warm in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of cashew paste (recipe below) and sprinkle vegan parmesan &pine nuts on top(recipe below)

Enjoy! 

Cashew Paste: 

1 cup raw cashews (soaked 4-6 hours)

1/2 cup water

Method- Blend the two ingredients well until smooth. add more water if the consistency you desire is not achieved. for this recipe, the consistency is pretty thick. 

Vegan Parmesan

10 hazelnuts

4 brazil nuts

2 tbsp nutritional yeast (B12 fortified)

Method- Dry roast the nuts on a dry pan for 2/3 minute. Make sure not to brown them. Let it cool completely. Blend the nuts until powder like.

Add nutritional yeast and mix well. store in a glass container for use. 

Notes:

Use home made veggies broth if possible else buy a packaged one which has low sodium and contains only recognizable ingredients. 

If you are allergic to nuts, skip the vegan parmesan and the cashew paste. you can instead drizzle some EVOO for added fat and flavor. Still delicious!

Nutrition Facts:

Did you know that not all Nutritional Yeast are naturally  rich in Vit B12? Always look for the label and brand that is fortified with B12. 

 

 

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