Creamy Sweet Potato Risotto | plant-based recipe

 

UPDATED: February 25, 2018

On my first ever Instagram post, a couple of weeks ago, I shared this picture of my creamy sweet potato risotto. In the caption, I mentioned that my blog would be up and running soon… Well “soon” took a little (a lot!) longer then expected. I am no techy by any stretch of the imagination and yet I was animate about setting this up, all on my own.

So after many failed attempts, a multitude of pages magically disappearing or mistakenly deleted and quite a few melt downs, I think I’ve succeeded…or at least I’m here, blogging, sharing with you guys a recipe I absolutely love. So in advance, and before we get to the recipe, I’d like to apologize if my site isn’t “perfect”. I’m still working on it. But my desire to start sharing all this deliciousness with you guys was stronger then my need for “blog perfection” so I hope my food will make up for my lack of technical talent!

So onto my recipe…

This creamy sweet potato risotto was inspired by an amazing meal I had at the Montreal’s Children Hospital Foundation Gala last June (you can read about it on my first Instagram post). The risotto I had that night was a squash risotto. It was perfectly creamy, luscious and oh so satisfying.

So the following week, I knew I had to make my own version of that risotto. I didn’t want to use squash because I wanted to make this recipe my own. Although butternut squash was a very tempting ingredient, I decided to make my key ingredient sweet potatoes.

I chose sweet potatoes for their earthy and creamy taste and texture. Sweet potatoes are also nutrition power houses. I remember in my hardcore fitness training days, sweet potatoes were on the menu every. single. day. And for good reason. When you train at that level, you need all the nutrients food can bring you.

According to the knowledgeable folks over at Organic Facts, sweet potatoes, or yams, are loaded with healthy vitamins, fiber, minerals, and proteins. The health benefits of sweet potatoes include their ability to help lose weight [hence being on most every fitness competitors menu], boost immunity, aid in digestion, treat asthma and bronchitis, control diabetes and help treat certain cancers. Sweet potatoes also help in treating arthritis and stomach ulcers.

Not bad for an orange little tuber.

I love using using sweet potatoes for another reason: my husband doesn’t like them… Well he likes them if they are cut into fries and come from this Irish pub not far from where we live! Loll. On the other hand, my 1 year old son Adriano and I, love them! Needless to say, I need to find sneaky ways to include sweet potatoes so my son and I can enjoy them without my husband minding so much. And a risotto is the perfect place to “hide” them as it a dish my Italian husband is quite found of. Winner!

 

The trick to this risotto, and to any risotto for that matter, is the gentle stirring. Stir, stir, stir…

Slowly, lovingly, gently, stir in small quantities of hot liquid into the rice. As the rice absorbs the hot liquid, the constant stirring releases all that starchy goodness that gives risotto its creamy identity. And from there, you can build layers of textures and tastes.

That’s where the addition of the creamy sweet potato comes in. To enhance the texture and creaminess of the risotto. And once all that texture has developed, I like to add an acidic component to my risotto, like the lime juice in this recipe. This brightens the taste of the dish and cuts through all that creaminess.

Trust me, you won’t miss any of the traditional ingredients found in risotto. And you won’t feel so heavy after your meal.

So without any further a do, here’s the recipe. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as my family and I did. And please, let me know what you think!

xx

Creamy Sweet Potato Risotto
Author: Elle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Creamy Sweet Potato Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup sweet onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp roasted ground ginger
  • 1 cup Arborio rice (arborio rice is naturally gluten free)
  • 3 cups vegetable stock, heated (I used homemade broth to make sure it’s gluten free. If using store bought, make sure you buy GF)
  • 2/3 cup sweet potato, pureed or mashed
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • Fresh dill, to serve
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
  2. Add the diced onions, minced garlic, nutmeg and roasted ground ginger.
  3. Stir the onions and garlic with the spices for 2 minutes or until onions are translucent. Make sure the garlic doesn’t turn brown as it’ll give a bitter taste to your risotto.
  4. Add the arborio rice to the pan and coat the rice with the spice mixture.
  5. Add 1/4 cup of the warm vegetable stock to the rice and stir until all the liquid is absorbed.
  6. Repeat, 1/4 cup at a time, until all the vegetable stock is absorbed by the rice.
  7. Add the sweet potato and continue stirring.
  8. Turn off the heat and add the fresh lime juice.
  9. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with some fresh dill.

 

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vegan sweet potato creamy risotto

 

 

Luscious mushroom risotto | Vegan recipe

luscious mushroom risotto

 

Mushroom risotto will forever hold a dear place in my heart. Not only has it always been one of my favorite dishes, but it was also a star dish at my wedding. The hotel venue we chose for our reception actually has a designated chef who’s sole responsibility is to make heavenly delicious mushroom risotto. During our wedding, the DJ stopped the music and invited everyone to take a seat at their table when the risotto was served, so it could be eaten right away. A bit intense, I know. But that’s how seriously they take their risotto. It also goes to show just how seriously I take risotto, considering I went along with it.

I also thought the timing was pretty good since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. And what could me more romantic then sharing a warm dish of creamy, rich, decadent risotto.

That being said, I have to say I have mixed emotions about Valentine’s Day. I like it and dislike it, for the exact same reasons.

I like the idea of having a single day dedicated to love and happiness. A day that brings us out of our routine and invites us to take a moment and remind the people in our lives that we love and care for them and that they are important to us.

I never though Valentine’s day was just for lovers/spouses/partners. I feel it’s a celebration of love for everyone in our lives: parents/friends/mentors… People that we share our lives with and who influence us in a positive way.

I also genuinely dislike Valentine’s Day because you have to show love on that one day. That one special day that is so commercialized and over advertised, making you feel like you need  to do something special, and mostly extravagant, for that one person in your life. You can’t walk into any store right now and not be bombarded by expensive gift ideas, overpriced flowers, cards, chocolates… That, I don’t like.

Ok, rant over, back to my risotto.

 

creamy mushroom risotto loaded with mushrooms and flavour

 

Since I’ve never been a fan of going out for dinner on Valentine’s Day, I always try to make dinner a little extravagant. Jazz it up a little. Make it a little fancier without necessarily going overboard and leaving us with mounts of dishes to do afterwards.

Risotto fits that bill perfectly as it is rather simple to make and it only takes one dish. Or one pan to be exact.

Mushroom risotto also being such a beautiful reminder of our wedding, I felt it needed to be replicated this year.

The challenge was making it exclusively plant based while still getting that amazingly creamy mouth feel you get from a traditional risotto, that’s loaded with cream and parmesan cheese.

The secret is in the layers of flavours from the mushrooms. Umami.

From the rich mushroom broth used as the base of the risotto to the chunky pieces of portobello, porcini and white mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and garlic.

If you are pressed for time, you can buy already made mushroom broth in cube, powder form or even liquid form. But if you have a little extra time, I strongly suggest making your own mushroom broth. It’s easy and adds so much flavour to a dish.

My mushroom broth is a variation of Chef Michael White’s recipe over at Food & Wine. It is rich and flavourful and perfect for drinking on it’s own or in a recipe like this. The only differences are the addition of 2 more gloves of garlic (for 6 total gloves) and a 2 inch piece of ginger. I just love the added zing and brightness, ginger brings to the broth.

I also add a secret ingredient to my risotto. An ingredient that is not Italian at all. So this will be our little secret.

I add miso paste. Red miso paste. It gives this risotto so much flavour and an added boost of good for you nutrients.

Miso seems to bring out the umami even more in the mushrooms. I dissolve the miso paste in the mushroom broth before adding it to the rice. Amazing.

I promise, this mushroom risotto recipe won’t have you miss the heavy cream or the parmesan cheese.

If my Italian husband and his mom, gave it their seal of approval, I’m confident your family will enjoy it too.

The second key to a great risotto, after the stellar ingredients, is the cooking method. Risotto requires patience.

The liquid to rice ratio is anywhere between 1:3 to 1:4. I tend more towards the 1:4, because I find it gives a much creamier and smooth texture. So for each cup of arborio rice, I’ll add 4 cups of broth. You can also replace some of the broth with white wine. I choose not to because I feed this risotto to my toddler. But if you want to make this recipe for grown-ups only, you can easily replace 1/2 cup of broth with 1/2 cup of white wine.

When it comes time to cook my rice, I separate my broth in 4 parts, pouring only 1 cup at a time, stirring gently, waiting for all the broth to be absorbed before I add any more liquid.

I guess that’s why I consider this the perfect Valentine’s Day dish: it takes love, and time, and patience to make.

Leave me a comment and let me know how you guys have enjoyed this risotto.

xx

Luscious mushroom risotto
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 portions
This mushroom risotto is rich and creamy while offering you all the goodness of a plant based meal.
Ingredients
  • 4 Cups sliced mixed mushrooms (I used portobello, porcini and white mushrooms)
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 spanish onion, diced
  • 2 Tbs. vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 Cup arborio rice
  • 4 Cups mushroom broth
  • 1 Tbs. red miso paste
  • 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
  • Freshly cracker black pepper
Instructions
  1. Add the olive oil to a deep pan set over medium high heat.
  2. Add the mushrooms and sautée for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove the mushrooms from the pan, add a dash of salt and return the pan to the heat.
  4. Reduce to medium heat.
  5. Add the vegan butter and olive oil.
  6. Add the onion and cook for 3 mins.
  7. Add the miso paste to the broth and stir with a whisk to dissolve the paste.
  8. Add the arborio rice to the pan and stir to evenly coat the rice.
  9. Add 1 cup of broth at a time, stirring frequently until the liquid is completely absorbed before adding more broth.
  10. Risotto is done when the rice is still firm but cooked through and creamy, about 20 minutes.
  11. Stir in the fresh rosemary, mushrooms and black pepper.