I decided to make risotto instead of sorting out how to/whether to adjust my regular brown rice recipe. Mostly, I pushed that problem off for another day, but in the meantime, I got to eat risotto. I also got to use up a zucchini we had sitting on the counter from the farmer’s market.

I made a number of changes from the initial recipe, skipping the veggies I don’t care for (most of them!) and lightening up on the cheese, butter, and oil (we’re trying to eat a bit healthier around here). I also used Vegetable Stock instead of Vegetable broth as the original recipe called for, for a richer flavor. It worked. The risotto was delicious. It’s only problem was that it was still a bit on the al dente side. One key difference between white rice risotto and brown rice risotto: the brown rice takes longer!

Veggie & Parmesan Brown Rice Risotto
Adapted from the Whole Foods website; Serves 6 as a main dish, more like 12 as a side.

• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups uncooked short-grain brown rice
• 2 carrots, trimmed and chopped
• 1/2 cup (1.5 ounces by weight) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring broth and water to a boil in a medium pot.  Cover broth-water mixture and reduce heat to low.

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring gently, until toasted and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the broth-water mixture and cook, stirring constantly and adjusting heat if needed to maintain a simmer, until liquid is almost absorbed. Repeat process, adding about 1/2 cup of the broth-water mixture each time, until rice is just beginning to get tender, about 25 minutes. Add carrots and continue process with broth-water mixture. When rice is just al dente and carrots are just tender, add zucchini and cook 5 minutes more. (If broth mixture gets low, add water as needed.)

Add cheese, butter/margarine, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add about 1/2 cup more of the broth-water mixture to finished risotto before serving, if you like.

Note: I thought this was very tasty. I expected to have to pick out the zucchini–David likes it, not me, but was pleasantly surprised. It just all kind of melded together and tasted great. I don’t think this needed more cheese at all, even though I basically halved what the recipe called for. The only thing I could’ve done was cook it longer, but we were impatient and hungry! For just us, I’d definitely half this recipe next time. We had tons of leftovers.

P.S. Sorry for the terrible picture. My camera wasn’t charged, and I couldn’t find the charger, so I had to make do with my iPhone. But a poor picture is better than no picture, right?

No related posts.

Oven-Roasted Veggies

• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1 inch chunks
• 1 yellow squash, sliced into 1 inch chunks
• 3 shallots, peeled and halved
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Adobo seasoning

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray, or line with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the vegetables as outlined above. Toss together the sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, shallots, and carrots with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Adobo seasoning, plus salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer in the bottom of your roasting pan, and let cook for 25-30 minutes.

3. While these hardier veggies get a head start, toss remaining vegetables with the other tablespoon of oil and the 1/2 tablespoon of Adobo seasoning and salt and pepper. After 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are just fork tender, but still firm, add the zucchini & squash and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini & squash are tender and the potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Serve immediately.

No related posts.

I used a basic pasta dough recipe to make my own lasagna noodles, but you could use dried pasta if you want, just be sure to cook the pasta first–there’s not enough liquid in this lasagna to cook dried noodles.

Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil & Artichoke Lasgana

• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles, cooked (or fresh & raw)
• 16 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 & 1/2 cups pesto (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 cup marinated artichokes, roughly chopped
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 glass pan with cooking spray.

2. Spread a thin layer of pesto on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with sheets of pasta. Spread with pesto, followed by ricotta cheese, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.  Top with another layer of pasta and repeat, finishing the dish with a final layer of cheese.

3. Baked, covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, until heated through. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: Like I said, I’m not much for vegetarian dishes, but this was very good. If you feel the need to add meat, I think grilled chicken would go very well in this lasagna.

No related posts.