Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto

Do you ever look back on things you thought as a child and wonder where you ever got that idea from? Well, that’s how I feel when I remember that I used to hate mushrooms. As an adult, I appreciate their umami flavor so much that I can’t believe there was ever a time I would turn up my nose at them. But then again, I never had them in a dish like Creamy Mushroom Risotto, which can make a believer out of even the most spirited mushroom haters in your life!

Whole Food Plant-Based, Vegan, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free.

Before you even start making this recipe, please double-check that your rice is the arborio variety. A lot of people won’t make risotto because they’ve heard it’s a hard dish to master, but if you’ve got the right rice, you’ve already won half the battle. How can you win the other half? By stirring, stirring, and stirring some more. Seriously. That’s the secret to making it creamy, and you can log all that stirring as an upper-body workout. Shapely arms AND creamy risotto? Count me in!

Apart from the stirring, making this is really straightforward – I promise! Although it might be more hands-on than some of my other recipes, the short ingredient list makes up for it. If you’re intimidated, you can take some of the pressure off by cooking your mushrooms a day ahead and keeping them in an airtight container in the fridge. This will also leave you with one less skillet to clean the next day!

Starchy foods give us energy and fiber, but not all of them are healthy. This risotto really hits the spot when you want something that’s starchy, creamy, salty and soft without any of the problems associated with dairy. It still has that comforting cheesy taste you’d expect in a risotto thanks to the nutritional yeast, but in a way you can feel good about.

Let’s be honest here: risotto falls into the category of foods that taste a lot better than they look. I’m not going to pretend like this dish is beautiful to look at, but I can say your taste buds will appreciate it! If you want to liven it up a bit, you can add some other green vegetables, such as frozen peas, for a splash of color. I sometimes toss in a handful of chopped spinach or kale during the last step to give it an additional boost of nutrition. If anyone in your house isn’t a fan, you can always plate up their portion before tossing in the greens to keep everyone happy!

Ingredients:

Serves 2

-160 g (3/4 cup + 1 ½ tablespoon) arborio rice (uncooked)

-80 g (1 medium) onions, chopped

-2 garlic cloves, chopped

-300 g (10 oz) cremini/chestnut mushrooms, sliced thinly

-Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

-1.6 liters (6 cups) low-sodium vegetable stock

-3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

-10 g (1/3 oz) nutritional yeast

Seasonings:

-1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

-¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

-¼ teaspoon black pepper

Method:

1.       Wash and rinse the arborio rice well under an open tap. Drain and set aside.

2.       Fill a saucepan with 1.6 liters (6 cups) of vegetable stock, then cover and let it simmer on low heat.

3.       Add some of the vegetable stock to a large, straight-sided pan or pot and cook the onion and garlic along with the ground flaxseed, turmeric and black pepper. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

4.       Add the rice wine vinegar and stir in the arborio rice.

5.       Let the rice absorb the rice wine vinegar. Once the liquid is almost gone, add 1 cup of the vegetable stock to the pan and stir the rice for 30 seconds every 1.5 – 2 minutes. This will help the rice turn starchy and sticky.

6.       Keep adding the stock 1 cup at a time. This should take approximately 20 minutes.

7.       While the risotto is cooking, cook your mushrooms in a separate skillet. Just add a splash of vegetable stock and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat, making sure they don’t stick. Set aside.

8.       When almost all of the stock has been absorbed by the risotto, add the nutritional yeast, cooked mushrooms and parsley to the pan and mix everything together.

9.       Turn off the heat and serve immediately!

Nutritional Facts per serving:

Calories: 426

Carbs: 82.5 g

Protein: 14.4 g

Fats: 5.5 g

Fiber: 4.6 g