This creamy vegan rice dish, dotted with little chunks of aromatic asparagus, satisfies the taste for something substantial and savory.
Asparagus has been in the markets for some time in the Middle East. It’s worth buying it for this low-fat, creamy risotto. And don’t forget another great vegan recipe – Chickpea and Artichoke Salad. Two great dishes for a vegan buffet.
Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto
Adapted from the lovely Clean GreenSimple blog.
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of asparagus, woody stalks removed and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
8 oz. white or brown button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 – 1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup raw Arborio rice
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped. If using frozen, thaw and chop.
1-2 tsp lemon juice
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and asparagus and heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5-7 minutes).
Add mushrooms, thyme, salt, and white wine, and heat until mushrooms are softened, another 3-5 minutes. Add rice and stir until rice is well coated. Add vegetable broth 1/2 – 3/4 cup at a time, stirring well, and allowing the rice to soak up all the liquid before adding more – this takes about 3-5 minutes or so each time.
Add the spinach, lemon juice and the rest of the broth. Stir until the spinach is wilted – 2-3 minutes. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
More delicious vegan recipes on Green Prophet:
Photo by Jessica Verma via CleanGreenSimple.
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
