Pea Risotto, Grilled Tofu, Grilled Mushrooms

It's been AGES since I've made risotto.. which is odd, because I have occasional cravings for it every once in a while... so, tonight I made this.  It turned out really good, and I especially liked the tofu!

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

Press a few slabs of tofu, and then marinade in soy sauce, agave, and ketchup.  Grill on a panini press with sliced crimini mushrooms.
Saute 1/2 small chopped red onion and chopped garlic.  Add a generous cup of risotto rice, and 2/3 cup white wine.  Once the wine is almost gone, add water and vegetable bullioun, adding more water until the rice is SUUUPER creamy, and really cannot take any more water.. about 35 minutes.  Also, stir the rice as much as you can - like, every other minute, give it a few seconds of good stirring. Once the rice is saturated, add in peas, nooch, and butter extract.  Serve topped with tofu and mushrooms.

Cranberry Risotto

As I was putting this together, I had a fear of it being bland, because, as I scanned the ingredients, there were no spices whatsoever.  I started to pull out different spices until they looked sufficient- actually, the whole small counter space was covered with herbs... but I think this risotto was my best one yet- which isn't saying much because I have only made three.  But still- the cranberries added a nice sweetness, and the flecks of onion were delicious.  Not to mention all the herbs that went in.  Another plus was that it needed about 15 minutes of prep work, and it was done.

Baked Cranberry Risotto


Adapted from Oceanspray.com

Serves 6-8

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3/4 cup risotto rice

2 cups water, plus vegetarian chicken bullion

Scant 1 tbsp thyme

Scant 1 tbsp oregano

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 425.

 In a deep frying pan or Dutch oven, heat a bit of water, and add the onions. Sauté for 2 minutes and add in the garlic.  Sauté for 2 more minutes and add the bell pepper, and sauté until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the cheese and stir well. Pour into a casserole dish and cook for 30 minutes. When the liquid is gone, take out of the oven and top with a few tbsp of parmesan cheese. Serve.

Another Attack on the US Government. Crazyness.

I am very, very stunned by what happened last Saturday in Tucson, Arizona.  I don't feel very politically passionate, but I think that everyone in the US is very stunned by what Loughner did.  What I find incredible is that someone would have the guts to do something as outrageous as what he did.  What is really sad is that so many people died, and it seems like that these types of attacks have been more and more frequent in the past few years.  Sometimes I get the feeling  that Americans are just reallu agitated from some reason.  But, I am nonetheless very sorry to hear about the shootings.  I think it's so cool to know, though- not to mention really inspiring- that some people tried to come to the rescue.  I read an article about how two men wrestled the attacker to theh ground, and then a womab grabbed his ammunitiuon.   Another government intern tried to help the bleeding Congresswoman Giffords.  It's so nice to hear the good side of humanity sometimes, and I just take comfort in knowign that not al people are rude and are willing to help.

A nuch more plesant topic would be cooking.  Tonight I made a risotto, which is a type of creamy Italian rice.  I can't tolerate eating very large quantities of this surff at one time, but it's really good.  This recipe for risotto has actually been my favourite of all that I have very tried, which is saying something.  Although it's not really all that easy to make, the end results are worth it ten times over.  The lemon taste is so different from normal disheds, I found that to be a nice change of pace.

Leek, Mushroom, and Lemon Risotto


Serves 6

Adapted from 330 Vegetarian Recipes for Health

2 medium leeks, washed well, cut in half, and chopped
Scant 1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp dry cooking sherry, plus a little extra
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups Arborio rice/risotto rice
3 ½ - 4 cups water
1 ½ tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped parsley, plus extra sprigs for garnish

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the sherry in a large pot, and then add the garlic. Stir for a couple seconds, and then add the leeks and mushrooms. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and set aside, saving the liquid.
Meanwhile, in a separate small kettle, add 3 ½ cups water with the bullion and bring to a light simmer.
Reheat the pot with a bit more sherry, and sauté the onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice for a couple seconds, and then add a ladleful of the water and bullion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Continue adding liquid a ladleful at a time, until the rice is done, about 20-25 minutes. Add the reserved leeks and mushrooms with their juice, and cook until most of that liquid is absorbed. If the rice is not tender, add the extra ½ cup water. Just before serving, add the lemon juice and rind, the cheese, and parsley. Mix well, and serve with the salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.