Creamy Greens Risotto Recipe
I love this risotto. It packs flavor, green plants, nutrients and fiber. It’s great the day off and as a left over for breakfast, lunch or snack. You can do it with any leafy greens you enjoy and once you have the mechanics down, you can start creating your own version with your favorite veggies.
- 1/3 cup of macadamia nuts
- 1 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 TBSP mixed herbs (sage, parsley, mint, basil or cilantro)
- A handful green beans
- A bunch asparagus
- 2 cups kale + 1 cup of kale
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- ½ lemon (must be organic as we’ll use the zest too)
- 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 cup + 2 TBSP risotto rice (I use Arborio)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Generous ½ cup green peas
- 3 TBSP nutritional yeast (or as much as you’d like!!!)
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Preheat over to 325F, spread macadamia nuts over a small baking sheet and toast for 5-8 min. Or, if you don’t want to use the oven, and you have one, use a air fryer for 5-8 min. It works so well. Halfway through cooking time, stop the fryer, and give the nuts a little shaky shaky. Leave to cool slightly, then roughly chop.
- Meanwhile peel and chop finely the onion and garlic. Chop the herbs. Slice the beans into ¾ inch pieces. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and cut the stalks into 1/3 inch pieces. Remove the though stems from the kale and roughly chop. Finely grate the zest of the lemon.
- In a blender, blend the 1 cup of kale with a little stock and some herbs to make a thick green juice to color the risotto.
- Pour the stock into the medium pot over low heat and keep warm.
- Add the EVOO to a sauce pan. Add the chop onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 10-15 min. Add the garlic and stir for another min. Pour in the rice and toast for a min longer.
- Turn up the heat slightly and pour in the white wine. Simmer until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, stirring frequently. Add the green beans and asparagus to the pan and give everything a frequent stir as to not burn.
- Now start adding a ladle-full of stock at a time, stirring continuously and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding the next ladle-full. After 8 min, add the peas and kale to the pan and the kale juice and continue to cook for 6-8 min longer, until the rice is just cooked and the vegetables are tender (you might have a little stock left over).
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the chopped herbs, nutritional yeast, lemon zest, and macadamia nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
I often use an air fryer for things like roasting the macadamia nuts.
