EAT: Curried Butternut Squash Risotto

I am going to try to post a recipe or meal ideas on Mondays in honor of Meatless Mondays. It may happen on Tuesdays some weeks…

One of my favorite things to eat is risotto. A few years ago Sean and I lived with my sister, Julie, when her husband was on his first deployment. The best part of living with her was stealing her clothes. The second best part was sharing dinner duties. We both love to cook and we rotated who was making dinner. Julie and I made risotto at least once a week. I only make it once in awhile now, but each time I make it I think about her and all the wonderful dinners we made together.

I don’t like following recipes or measuring ingredients. Risotto works for people who don’t like to follow cooking rules. For this risotto, first peel and dice one butternut squash. Keep the seeds!

Then roast the diced squash (splashed with olive oil, salt and pepper) in a 425 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Move the squash around a couple of times so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Roast the seeds at the same time. They only take about 7 minutes to roast – so make sure you take them out pretty fast!

While the squash is roasting, you can start the risotto. Saute one diced shallot and two cloves of diced garlic in olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. You could use 1/2 an onion if you don’t have a shallot. After about 3-4 minutes, add two cups of Arborio rice. Saute that around the pan for a few minutes until it is a little toasty.

Now, you start adding the broth one cup at a time. I use 1/2 no-chicken broth and 1/2 water. If you use all no-chicken broth it will be too salty. You could also use vegetable broth. You’ll need ~eight cups of liquid. With risotto just keep adding liquid and stirring it in. You can walk away for a minute or two, but stay pretty close to the pan. Add more liquid when it starts sticking to the pan.

After you’ve added about 4 cups of the liquid, add 1 Tablespoon of curry. Lately, I am liking the hot curry blend from Penzey’s Spices (if you go there, I recommend getting the mulling spices for wine too!). Stir that in, and then continue adding liquid. The risotto is done when it starts to get creamy, and the rice is not hard. Trust me, you’ll be able to tell. Most of the time, it takes about 30 minutes. Mix in the roasted butternut squash and you are done! I added nutritional yeast to it, but it is not necessary – also I served it with the roasted seeds to add a bit of crunch to the dish.

I think half the battle with dinner is figuring out what to make. Here is what we’ll be eating for dinner this week:

• Vegetable Stir Fry with broccoli, carrots, edamame, brussel sprouts, peanuts and water chestnuts
• Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta from Oh She Glows with a Kale Salad
• Quinoa Biryani from Vegan Richa
• Lasagna with tofu ricotta, field roast sausages, peas and marinara
• The best frozen veggie burgers (another thing Julie introduced me too!)
• Some kind of red lentil soup and salad – I’ll make them both up when we get to the end of the week and need to use up what is left in the fridge

Everyday is meatless for Sean and I, not just Mondays. Last weekend we participated in the Farm Sanctuary walk. When we were walking a passerby said “Why don’t you walk for something that actually means something.” We didn’t say anything to him, but I am hoping we made him think about what he was eating. Compassion for all.