Recipe: Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto

I saw this recipe posted on a blog this week and wanted to try it out.  I have a few butternut squashes left from an organic produce share from our co-op (that I bought in November) and this looked like a perfect recipe to use some of that squash. I love risotto and did I mention that this dish is vegan?

The author said he intentionally left out the white wine that is traditionally included in risotto dishes because he was on a budget and he didn’t even notice it was not in there when eating it. Bonus! A gourmet Italian dish that’s also low cost. And organic. Eating organic does not have to mean expensive.

Butternut Squash Risotto
Serves 6

1/2 (large) Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
2T olive oil
3/4t salt (1/4t for squash and 1/2t for risotto)
1/2t pepper
1 shallot, finely diced
2T garlic, minced
2T rosemary, roughly chopped
16 oz Arborio rice
64 oz (8 cups) vegetable stock
Juice and zest of half a lemon (I used 2t of juice)

Heat oven to 400*F. Toss squash in 1T olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven until fork tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring vegetable stock to simmer. Heat medium pot over med-high heat and add 1T olive oil, shallot and garlic and stir frequently until shallots are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.  Add rice and rosemary, stir to coat with oil. Add enough stock to cover rice (about 2 ladles) and stir rice until the pot looks almost dry.  Repeat this process several times until rice is cooked. Risotto should be done in about 30 minutes.

Once squash is removed from oven, place half of cooked squash in a blender with 2 ladles of vegetable stock. Puree until smooth.

Combine risotto, squash pieces, puree, lemon juice and salt in pot and stir to mix evenly. Serve immediately and garnish with lemon zest.

We made it for dinner tonight and yeah, it’s really good. I used rosemary that I dried from my garden this summer and there is a lovely yellow/orange color to the rice from the squash puree and the bright orange cube accents made this dish look so pretty.

One thing about risotto is that you have to stir and add liquid for about 30 minutes so I made a double batch of this to freeze some for other dinners so I don’t have to stand and stir again for a while. It did take me more than 30 minutes but not much more and now we get to eat all this creamy risotto goodness for several more dinners.

Enjoy!

Kid Safe Chemicals Act Declaration

I’ve written about the Kid Safe Chemicals Act before. It’s just wrong that there is not any real regulation of the chemical industry and how those unsafe chemicals make their way into our bodies. What do you think those chemicals do to our children – and how about our babies in utero? They come into the world pre-polluted! That’s enough to make you say – disgusting!

Well there is something we all can do about it – Sign the Declaration! At least we have a fighting chance now that the new administration is in place and making changes to help the people. This would be one huge step towards improving everyone’s health – especially our children.

The Kid Safe Chemicals Act (KSCA) would put the burden of proof on chemical makers to document the safety of their products before they go on the market.

It just seems illogical that this has not been happening all along.  Please take 2 seconds to click on the link and sign your name!