Vegetable Italian Risotto

Serves – 4 | Calories - 496 (per serve)

Protein – 17 | Carbs – 63 | Fat – 19

Thank you to Merle Cruz for this delicious recipe, a staple in her weight loss journey!

Ingredients

• 6 x cups of vegetable stock
• 1 x tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ x head of cauliflower
• ½ x head of broccoli
• 1 x zucchini
• 1 x shallot, finely chopped
• 2 x cups of button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 x tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 x cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 x onion, diced
• 1 x teaspoon of fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 ½ x cups of arborio rice (200 grams approx.)
• ½ x cup of white wine (120 mls approx.)
• 1 x cup of grated parmesan cheese (110 grams approx.), plus more for serving
• ¼ cup of fresh parsley, for serving
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Method

1. Prep your ingredients by finely chopping your shallot, thinly slicing your mushrooms, mincing your garlic cloves, dicing your onion and finely chopping your fresh thyme. Set aside in separate bowls.
2. Add the stock to a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the stock is boiling, reduce the heat to low.
3. Heat olive olive in a wide, tall pot over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently until translucent.
4. Add the mushrooms and butter. Stir until the mushrooms have cooked through.
5. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper; stir and cook for one minute, until the butter has melted, and the garlic is aromatic.
6. Add the arborio rice and stir until fully coated in the mixture, let the rice toast for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
7. Add the white wine (this can be substituted for ½ cup of stock if necessary), and cook until it has evaporated, stirring occasionally.
8. Add 1 cup of of the stock prepared in step 2 and stir to combine. When the stock is completely absorbed, continue to add the hot stock ½ cup at a time, stirring as you pour until the stock is completely absorbed for 15-20 minutes. Depending on how fast the rice cooks, there may be leftover stock.
9. Once the rice is al dente, remove from the heat. Add the parmesan and stir to combine.
10. Plate up, adding parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Enjoy!