Recipe: Risotto with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella

(photo to come soon)

this is easily my favorite risotto recipe that I've made to date. no, it is not the healthiest, but all that melty cheese over the tangy taste of sun-dried tomatoes makes up for it. plus, i got to put my basil plant to use for something besides pesto!

ingredients:
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained with oil reserved
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
1. In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. While the stock is heating, drain the sun-dried tomatoes and reserve the oil. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and set them aside.
2. In a large frying pan, warm 2 tablespoons of oil from the tomatoes, add rice to the frying pan and stir until white spots appear in the center of the grains; about 1 minute. Spoon a ladleful of vegetable stock into the frying pan and cook the mixture on low until all the stock is absorbed; about 2 minutes. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Add the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil from the tomatoes, chopped basil, and salt and pepper. Mix well and serve

to make this recipe a little on the healthier side, I used low sodium vegetable broth (my brand of choice is Imagine). I also used Trader Joe's light mozzarella cheese. This cheese is a world apart from the low-fat cheese from Kraft and generic grocery store brands in that it actually tastes like cheese (I often find that other brands taste like plastic).

Recipe: Butternut Squash Risotto with Pesto

This was my second time making risotto, so I'm still learning. My lesson with this recipe was that you shouldn't make risotto when your upper body is still sore from extreme weight lifting. The end result was definitely worth the sore wrist, though.

ingredients:
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup prepared pesto, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups cubed butternut squash (1 small squash)

directions:
Bring broth and 2 cups water to a boil in large saucepan; turn off heat.
Heat 1 Tbs. pesto in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in rice, followed by 1/2 cup hot broth. When rice has absorbed broth, add another 1/2 cup. Continue adding broth in this manner 5 minutes.
Stir in squash, and season with salt and pepper. Resume adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time until rice has absorbed all liquid. (This should take about 15 minutes.) Remove from heat, and stir in 1 Tbs. pesto. Spoon risotto into 6 bowls and top each with 1 tsp. pesto.

Recipe: Vegetarian Risotto with Asparagus

This was my first time making risotto, but I was aware that it would be a time-consuming dish to prepare. So I made it before I left for my volunteer work and refrigerated it so I could just reheat it when I got home. It was so delicious that I forgot to take a picture of it before I wolfed it all down! No worries, though, I'll take a picture of it when I eat the leftovers I have sitting in my fridge. The good thing about this recipe is that even though it is time consuming, it is simple. In fact, the only ingredient I didn't have on-hand for this recipe was asparagus, which is easy to find in any grocery store this time of the year.

Ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup uncooked Arborio Rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat water and broth in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and keep warm. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat; add asparagus and cook until tender crisp. Remove asparagus; set aside. In same saucepan, cook onion in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until soft. Add rice and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed. Increase heat to medium-high; stir in 1 cup water-broth mixture.
Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding remaining water-broth mixture 1 cup at a time, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding another. Cook until rice is tender and mixture has a creamy consistency, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in asparagus, cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until mixture is creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

I lightened this recipe by using low sodium vegetable broth and fat-free half and half instead of heavy cream. I also used garlic instead of an onion because I don't like onions.

Recipe: Coconut Lime Rice

One bite of this rice and you'll feel like you're on vacation on a tropical island. The rice really captures the flavor from the blend of vegetable broth and coconut milk that you boil the rice in instead of water. The lime juice adds a nice little twist to it, too. Be careful about how high you have the heat on while simmering the rice, because I burned mine a little bit.

ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth
salt, to taste
1 lime, zested and juiced
ground black pepper, to taste

directions:
Heat coconut oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir rice and coconut flakes for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, then add the coconut milk, chicken broth, salt and lime zest. Bring to a low boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and season with pepper.

I made this recipe a little healthier by doing the following:
1. using Promise light spread instead of regular butter
2. using light coconut milk instead of regular coconut milk
3. using low sodium vegetable broth

Recipe: Egg Fried Rice

If you're anything like me, you grew up eating takeout every weekend for dinner. Unfortunately, decent chinese food became difficult for me to find when I was in college in Indiana. I'm still wary of chinese food in Milwaukee, even though the place around the corner from me was given the title of best chinese food in milwaukee by onmilwaukee.com. my solution? make my own chinese food! like most rice recipes, this is pretty easy to make. I make a pretty basic version of this dish, but other vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and/or edamame could be added to this dish to add some variety! I'm going to try adding some new veggies next time I make this.

ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup peas
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

directions:
1. In a saucepan bring water and soy sauce to a boil. Add rice and stir. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until liquid is completely absorbed (more or less 15 minutes)
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet or wok over medium heat. Saute peas for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in egg and fry for 2 minutes, scrambling egg while it cooks.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, mix well and sprinkle with pepper.

serves 4

Recipe: Peanut Rice

This recipe is amazing! It does work as a side dish, but I find that it's filling enough to be a main course on it's own. It's quick and ridiculously easy to make.

ingredients:
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup dry peanuts
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

directions:
1. Mix the rice, water, salt, and turmeric in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Stir the peas and peanuts into the cooked rice to serve.