Asparagus, Lettuce and Tomato

When I was thinking of what to make with the asparagus I pulled out one of my favorite vegan cookbooks, "Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook" by Kim Barnouin.  I made this recipe before and my husband LOVED it.  I even wrote a note in the book so I would remember it!

Risotto is something I didn't try until I made it myself in my adult life, actually I believe this was the first recipe I ever made of risotto.  I am not anywhere near to be italian, so italian food didn't show up very much in our household.  Please know that risotto is a labor of love, you can't leave it unattended, and it takes a while to make. Make sure you cut out the time to make this, it would be a good Sunday dinner.

I didn't make this fully vegan, and I made a few adjustments to it to save on costs, from what I had in my cupboard and my tastes.  It actually calls for wild mushrooms and a array of different mushrooms, but I am not a fan of those, so I only used baby bella mushrooms.  Feel free to use any mushrooms you like! I paired it with the lettuce and tomatoes for an easy salad, with a simple homemade dressing.

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

(serves 6)

4 cups (32 oz container) organic vegetable broth

2 cups water

3 tablespoons olive oil (or any oil)

4 tablespoons butter (to make it vegan use Earth Balance)

1 8oz package of sliced baby bellas

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1" pieces

Salt & Pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 large onion (or 1 small), diced

1 cup arborio rice, uncooked

1/3 cup white wine (I used leftover flat champagne-or this can be omitted)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for topping (use vegan cheese if you want it to be vegan)

1) In a large saucepan add the vegetable broth, cover and keep warm over low heat.  

2) In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add the mushrooms and asparagus, and saute until lightly browned and crisp tender, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.  

3) Using the same large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat and add the onion, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and remaining butter and saute for 1 minute. 

4) Add the rice and stir until well combined.  Add the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed.  Add 1 cup of the warm broth to the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until nearly absorbed.  

5) Continue adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each additional broth be absorbed before adding more.  Continue adding the broth until the rice is tender and creamy, about 30-40 minutes.

6) Stir in the sauteed mushroom, asparagus, and parmesan cheese to the rice, and season it with salt and pepper to taste.  Feel free to garnish your plate with more parmesan, which hubby and I totally did...maybe we added more halfway through eating it...don't judge us!

I have to add this too, a very happy hubby eating tomatoes, which he totally doesn't like tomatoes, but loved the fresh organic ones we got from our share!