Nourishing and delicious

This risotto is amazing when you want something nourishing, creamy and delicious. Goes perfectly with a glass of wine, especially on a rainy autumn evening.

I am using short grain brown rice for this recipe, which means you get all the goodness of this fab whole grain, but you will need to count in an extra time for cooking. You can substitute brown short grain rice for regular risotto rice, which will speed up the time of cooking, but you will miss out on all the fiber, higher protein and a few key minerals.

Nutrition

A bowl of the risotto is super rich in fiber (brown rice, edamame, zucchini), antioxidants (mushrooms) and protein (edamame, brown rice). It is also packed with vitamins and minerals (like iron, copper, magnesium, manganese) and good fats (coconut milk). What’s not too like? 🙂

Here’s the recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients

1.5 cups short grain brown rice

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

1 can of coconut milk (I like this one , as it doesn’t have any nasties in it)

600ml of veggie stock

250-300g of mushrooms, sliced 

splash of soy sauce

1.5 cups of edamame (or sub with peas)

1 zucchini, thinly sliced in half moons

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs of thyme

salt, pepper

chili powder or flakes

fresh coriander

optional: sprinkle with nutritional yeast flakes (or brewer’s yeast that are loaded with vitamins, like these ones) or grated parmesan 

Method

1. Use a large pot or wide pan and place on medium heat.
2. Add oil and rice, gently fry for a few minutes until the rice gets a bit golden.
3. Cover the rice with the veggie stock and cover it and let it simmer on low-medium heat.
4. Meantime, prepare the veggies – add mushrooms, onion, garlic with salt, pepper, and thyme. Add a splash of soy sauce and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add zucchini at the end (to not let it go all soft and mushy) and and stir it well.
5. When rice absorbed most of the stock, add the coconut milk. Stir it well, taste the rice and season with more salt or pepper. Cover again and let it simmer.
6. When most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked through, add the veggie/mushroom mix. Add lemon juice, chili. Adjust the taste by adding more salt/pepper/thyme/chili.
7. In the end, add the edamame beans and stir well. Watch for the risotto not to stick to the bottom of the pan.
8. Serve with extra lemon juice, fresh greens and/or sprinkle with fresh parsley or coriander.