Recipe! Corn Risotto

Farm fresh corn is plentiful here in the summer.  We have a farm just up the street that grows the best sweet corn I've ever had.  I freeze it and put it into different recipes but mostly enjoy it straight from the cob.  Tonight I made one of our favorite recipes, Corn Risotto.

Our local paper featured a recipe for corn risotto a couple of years ago when we were enjoying our first summer back in Traverse City.  I modified it slightly to take down the oil content and make it vegan (only needing to cut out the parmesan cheese and replace chicken stock with vegetable broth).  The original recipe calls for sauteing green onions first before adding the rice but I have a few in my house who scoff at onions.  I tell them of their greatness but they don't believe me yet.  They will soon!  So tonight, in order to please everyone, I omitted the green onion (gasp!) but toasted the rice first in olive oil in hopes of adding more flavor.  It worked!  The result was deliciousness without complaining!  I can't complain about that.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Corn Risotto

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
6 cups vegetable broth
3 large ears of corn, kernels removed

Method:

In a large saucepan warm the vegetable broth.  In a large non-stick skillet on medium heat add the oil.  Once warmed, add the rice stirring to coat.  Toast the rice until fragrant and slightly toasted, approximately 7 minutes.  Add the warmed broth half a cup at a time, stirring the rice with each addition.  Stir until most of the broth as been incorporated into the rice.  Keep adding the broth in half cup increments, continuing to stir with each addition.  This will take approximately 30 minutes.  It can be tedious but the end result will be worth it!  Once all of the broth has been added add the corn.  Stir to warm and incorporate.  Serve!

Since the original recipe suggested to serve with parmesan I decided that a great substitute was Dreena Burton's Brazil Nut Parmesan.  This recipe comes from her most recent cookbook Let Them Eat Vegan!  Now, most of my relatives and close friends already have a copy of the book so no excuses (!!!) for not trying this one!  It's a very simple recipe and really dresses up pasta, salads, soups, risotto, nearly everywhere you can put parmesan.  Simply delicious.

New Happenings and a New Look... (eventually)

A lot has been going on around here...

With 3 active boys and a semi-part-time job I have been a busy mama.  We've had a fabulous summer full of sun, beaches, trips, visitors, family, exploring, and lots of cooking to keep us all going.  We are all gearing up for back to school next week and enjoying the last bits of summer vacation...trying to pack in everything we meant to do but haven't yet gotten around to.  I'm hoping the weather holds up this weekend because I have a lot planned:  think baseball games, Lake Michigan sunsets, beach afternoons, park play dates, etc.

On a cooking note I was graciously offered to recipe test for Dreena Burton's fifth cookbook!  I couldn't have been more excited!!  We are currently cooking along and I couldn't be happier with what I'm seeing.  The recipes stay true to her desire to offer healthy, creative, vegan options that are pleasing to both adults and children.  They are whole-foods and plant based and full of flavor but also easy to prepare and have so far been made with ingredients I've had already in my kitchen.  Watch for future posts where I give you a sneak peek into some of the recipes for her upcoming book (due out in 2014-2015).

I love looking at my old pictures of my young boys but am realizing that they're very outdated and it's time for a change.  Change is in the air...

That's all for tonight.

what's for dinner?

Dinner tonight was a work in progress for most of the afternoon.  I love to take my time in the kitchen, to get things ready while my youngest naps so I can play when he's up.  Then when I bring dinner to the table, it feels easier than it actually was.

Tonight I made curried chickpeas, a recipe from the workshop I'm attending.

Simple roasted asparagus from Dreena's latest cookbook.

Roasted zucchini, along with some quinoa and my favorite new sauce from Dreena...Citrus Tahini Sauce.  sigh... It is great on grains, roasted veggies, or straight out of the jar.  Delicious.

Now, time to pop some corn.

my day in food pictures

Tonight, my day in food pictures:

Chocolate mint melties from Eat, Drink, and be Vegan

Maple Banana Loaf (with chocolate chips) from The Everyday Vegan

Proper Healthy Granola Bars (uncut) from Let Them Eat Vegan!

Now, I must pack.

pre-vacation baking and cooking

When we travel I like to bring a lot of our own foods.  I make things that travel well, are kid-friendly, and of course delicious.  I like to choose foods that are versatile, good for breakfast, snack, and dessert.  I also bring fruit (we go through a LOT of fruit), fill up our water bottles, tea for me, and almond milk.  I sometimes have to stop by the grocery store once while we're out of town to replenish something, but not always.

Today I did some baking.  I had hoped to get a couple more things baked up for the trip but alas, the pace of a three year old is not the same as a 40 year old.  But that's the fun of it.  When he hears that the baking is about to begin, he asks for "the big stool", makes sure his water is close by (because he gets thirsty with all the snacking) and settles in.  He's a good helper, as all of my boys are.

First we made Dreena's cocoa cookie dough balls.  Talk about versatile!  If these were not rolled in natural sugar you could include these as an extra-special treat for an extra-special-occasion breakfast.  I haven't been putting chocolate chips in mine, mostly because I keep forgetting.  I must apologize for my horrible pictures.  I think (hope) my camera is on its last leg.  Anyway, if you have Let Them Eat Vegan! then you must make these.  They are sugar free (unless you roll yours in natural sugar as I did), oil free, and full of chocolatey goodness.  If you don't have this cookbook, then you may remember when I did a book review and included the recipe in that post.  Make them please and let me know what you think.

Second on my list was granola.  Normally I prefer Dreena's hemp-anola but I was running low on hemp seeds.  Heather had a recipe for granola listed in her first round of recipes for 30 Day Vegan and thought I would try that one.  Personally I still prefer Dreena's, it has some healthier ingredients and has a nicer crunch to it but Heather's is tasty too.  I substituted millet for the whole wheat flour in Heather's recipe.

Yesterday I made cocoa goji granola.  Do you see those lovely goji berries in there?  This is a nice change from your average granola.  It has a delicious chocolatey flavor with a hint of orange from the zest.  I've been snacking on it straight out of the container, but I think it will be fantastic with almond milk.  I used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds.

I love these muffins.  They are also from Let Them Eat Vegan!  The banana and coconut flavors are delicious together and will be great for breakfast or snack.  They will travel well too.

Tomorrow my plan is to make granola bars, a batch or two of cookies, and at least one dressing.  I can't be without the curried almond dressing for long! 

30 Day Vegan's post today included another group of recipes for the coming week.  I look forward to trying some of those in the next couple of days.

My Fifths Disease symptoms continue to fade.  I was able to put my wedding rings on for a few hours today.  By the boys bathtime they were quite difficult to get off but I was happy to have them on for a short time anyway.

Now it is time for bed.

is anybody in there?

Yes, I'm here.  Sorry for the absence.  Ive been a little under the weather.  Fifths Disease has been going around my boy's school.  Adults usually aren't susceptible, but guess who contracted it?  Yep...me.  In children the symptoms resemble a mild cold followed by a tell-tale rash on their cheeks.  Sometimes the rash can spread to other parts of their body but not always.  In adult women the symptoms are very different.  Extreme joint pain and swelling are the main symptoms.  A rash can also occur, but not the signature rash on the cheeks.  Also extremely itchy soles of your feet and palms of your hands.  sigh, it's been a load of fun!  The good news is that I'm feeling remarkably better.

I was a bit concerned over the weekend when I was reading comments online from others who have suffered through Fifths as an adult, saying that their symptoms lasted as long as a year.  I could not imagine being limited as I was for a year.  I am so thankful to be feeling so much better.  So better I'm actually cooking again, since I had taken a long break when I was ill.



          *******************************************************************



I discovered a new blog a few months ago that really spoke to me.  Beauty That Moves is a beautiful journal-type blog.  Heather and her husband homeschool their 14 year old daughter, she teaches yoga, is currently studying holistic nutrition and offers a wonderful workshop that I signed up for this spring.  30 Day Vegan began just yesterday and is not only about eating a vegan diet for 30 days but also about nurturing your whole self.  There are daily postings Monday through Friday, whole food vegan recipes, access to Heather to answer any questions that may arise, and a supportive community of people who are all in this for different reasons.  For me I was looking to add to my vegan support system and learning a thing or two more about whole foods vegan cooking. 

Day two's post talked about setting up a whole foods kitchen.  Heather says, "The kitchen is a workspace, a food studio!" and suggested we share with others how we can prepare our kitchen to work best for us, to offer encouragement for one another.  I have some work to do in my pantry, some organizing needs to be tended to and once I do that I'll share how I keep a whole foods vegan pantry.

Welcome to my kitchen:

My main workspace, I try to keep as clear as possible.  My first copy of Let Them Eat Vegan! never, ever leaves my counter.

This space works more like an office/desk instead of a cooking workspace.  The paper and some mail is usually on the counter's edge.  Do you see the wine in the background?  It's leftover from my book club which met at my house last week.  I need another party, or some visitors!

This is the bar area where the kids like to eat their breakfast and lunch.  It makes passing out meals, seconds, and clean up much easier.  The door in the background is my pantry.  Do you like my beautiful placemats?  My lovely sister, Kari, made them. 

 

          ********************************************************************



I'm still cooking my way through Let Them Eat Vegan!  Today I made the cocoa granola with goji berries.  I'll post pictures tomorrow.  It is yummy and gets a thumbs up from everyone (including my most picky boy).  Dreena had a great post about the health benefits of goji berries that prompted me to get a few at the store and play around with them.  They are a little expensive and tad different from your average dried fruit.  But they have a nice flavor and they are versatile and went great in the granola.  You remember Dreena has her new website at www.plantpoweredkitchen.com right?  It's a beautiful site and she has several new recipes on their now.  Take a peek sometime.

The evening has gotten away from me and I must head to bed.   Looking forward to feeling better tomorrow, more cooking and baking, and another post from my workshop.

Sweet dreams.