Krista McGuire

After traveling to the Azores back in November, Sean and I were seriously craving the amazing risottos that we ate while we were there! We even found a vegan restaurant where we had the most amazing dish ever:

I was obsessed with the bowl it came in, the menus, the amazing wine, and the vibes there. Ugh . . . can we go back?! ❤ Risotto is great because you can always use different vegetables, just make sure you have plenty of time to cook because risotto is definitely time consuming, but so worth it! I served this with Cauliflower Steaks & Steamed Broccoli

Ingredients – Butternut Squash & Kale Risotto

-3 Cups butternut squash, chopped

-1 Cup finely chopped kale

-1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

-Salt & pepper to taste

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1/2 Cup onion, chopped

-1/2 Cup arborio rice

-3/4 Cup white wine

-2.5 – 3 Cups vegetable broth

-1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, or more as desired

-1 Tablespoon vegan butter

-1 teaspoon thyme

Directions

-In a pot, warm up the vegetable broth & set aside

-In another pan, add butter. Add butternut squash, salt, & pepper & sauté until fully cooked & a bit carmelized. Set aside. ***I boiled the squash & drained it before adding it to the pan to speed up the process***

-In the same pan, add extra virgin olive oil. Once warm, add garlic, onion, & sauté for a few minutes on medium heat. Add rice & stir it around for 2 -3 minutes. Now add the wine & cook by stirring continuously until wine is all absorbed

-Now add 1/2 Cup of vegetable broth at a time & keep stirring. Once the liquid is absorbed, add another 1/2 Cup. Continue this step until you have used all of your vegetable broth

-Add salt, pepper, thyme, nutritional yeast, & mix until well combined

-Add squash & kale & stir into rice mixture. If it feels too thick, add water by 1/2 Cup at time

-Cook on low & taste . . . adjust seasoning as needed

xoxo