Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

Have you ever had risotto? It’s so creamy and smooth and decadent you’d swear it was covered in butter or cheese (and it often is!) – but did you know it’s really easy to make yourself and doesn’t need any dairy at all? True! This recipe doesn’t even have much fat in it, aside from any you use to saute the onions. All it really takes is a little bit of patience to stir the rice every once in a while, but it’s not especially difficult and the whole thing is done in maybe 30-45 minutes.

VEGAN MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, diced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of asparagus, woody stalks removed and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
• 8 ounces mushrooms (about 15 or so if you use Crimini), roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
• 1 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

PREPARATION

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and asparagus and heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5-7 minutes). Add mushrooms, thyme, salt, and white wine, and heat until mushrooms are softened, another 3-5 minutes or so. Add rice and stir until rice is well coated and starts to make small snapping noises (like Rice Krispies). Add vegetable broth 1/2-3/4 cup at a time, stirring well, and allowing the rice to soak up all the liquid before adding more – this takes about 3-5 minutes or so each time.
2. Once you’ve added almost all the broth, add the spinach, nutritional yeast, onion powder, lemon juice and the rest of the broth and stir until the spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve immediately.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/mushroom-and-asparagus-risotto/