Risotto Palooza!

My girlfriends came over the other night to make risotto.  And, boy did we make risotto!  Each friend brought ingredients to put in the recipe.  Patty brought yellow peppers, leeks and sun-dried tomatoes.  Leslie brought fresh cremini mushrooms and truffle oil.  Danielle brought butternut squash.  I had some asparagus to add to the mix.  Each of the recipes came out so good.  I loved Leslie's Mushroom Risotto so much I added her ingredients to my asparagus.

You could use one basic recipe, but since we added our ingredients at different times in the cooking process, I posted four recipes.  The Butternut Squash Risotto was a big hit but I really liked Patty's Summer Vegetable Risotto.

Mushroom Risotto

4 cups vegetable broth

4 T. Earth Balance butter substitute

1 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 large shallots, chopped

1 ½ cups risotto rice (arborio)

½ cup vegan white wine

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 t. black truffle oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the vegetable broth in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.  In a separate large fry pan, melt 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance and olive oil.  Add the garlic and shallots and cook until soft.  Pour in the rice and stir.  Continue stirring and cooking until each grain has only a small white dot in the center. 

Add the wine to rice and stir until it is absorbed.  Now add a cup of hot broth to rice.  Stir often until all the broth is absorbed.  Continue adding a cup of broth after each cup is absorbed into the rice. Add mushrooms with the third cup of broth.   After all the broth has been absorbed into the rice, turn off the heat.  Drizzle with truffle oil and add last 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and serve.

Butternut Squash Risotto

2 cups butternut squash, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

4 T. Earth Balance butter substitute

1 T. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 large shallots, chopped

1 ½ cups risotto rice (arborio)

½ cup vegan white wine

¼ cup parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.  Spread chopped squash on cookie sheet and then spray squash with spray.  Cook at 350 degrees until squash can be pierced easily with fork (at least a half hour).  Set aside.  Put the vegetable broth in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.  In a separate large fry pan, melt 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance and olive oil.  Add the garlic and shallots and cook until soft.  Pour in the rice and stir.  Continue stirring and cooking until each grain has only a small white dot in the center. 

Add the wine to rice and stir until it is absorbed.  Now add a cup of hot broth to rice.  Stir often until all the broth is absorbed.  Continue adding a cup of broth after each cup is absorbed into the rice.  Add the squash with the third cup of broth.   After all the broth has been absorbed into the rice, turn off the heat.  Add salt and pepper and last 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance.  Stir and serve.

Summer Vegetable Risotto

1 leek (white and light green section), chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

1 T. olive oil

4 T. Earth Balance butter substitute

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 ½ cups risotto rice (arborio)

½ cup vegan white wine

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the vegetable broth in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.  In a separate large fry pan, sauté leeks and bell pepper in olive oil until soft.  Remove vegetables from pan and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons Earth Balance to the pan and melt.  Add the garlic and rice and stir.  Continue stirring and cooking until each grain of rice has only a small white dot in the center. 

Add the wine to rice and stir until it is absorbed.  Now add a cup of hot broth to rice.  Stir often until all the broth is absorbed.  Continue adding a cup of broth after each cup is absorbed into the rice.  Add the leeks, bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes with the third cup of broth.   After all the broth has been absorbed into the rice, turn off the heat.  Add salt and pepper and last two tablespoons of Earth Balance.  Stir and serve.

Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

4 cups vegetable broth

4 T. Earth Balance butter substitute

1 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 large shallots, chopped

1 ½ cups risotto rice (arborio)

½ cup vegan white wine

8 oz. fresh asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 t. black truffle oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the vegetable broth in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.  In a separate large fry pan, melt 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance and olive oil.  Add the garlic and shallots and cook until soft.  Pour in the rice and stir.  Continue stirring and cooking until each grain has only a small white dot in the center. 

Add the wine to rice and stir until it is absorbed.  Now add a cup of hot broth to rice.  Stir often until all the broth is absorbed.  Continue adding a cup of broth after each cup is absorbed into the rice. Add asparagus and mushrooms with the third cup of broth.   After all the broth has been absorbed into the rice, turn off the heat.  Drizzle with truffle oil and add last 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and serve.


Side note:  Not sure what the feeling is on truffle oil.  Since Pigs are used to find truffles, is this considered a non-vegan item?