#wasabiwednesdays

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Join tonight for Girls Night at #wasabiwednesdays We will have a pop up shop with lots of goodies. Get Mimi Manos, hennas, massages, drinks and more #miami #springbreak #miami

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Wasabi Wednesdays: White Bean Bruschetta and Spring-ish Risotto

I discovered these two recipes when I was following my 'modified' vegan diet.  I'm always looking for variations on risotto and this recipe was fantastic. Although it calls for asparagus, green beans and spinach, you can really use any greens of your liking. I always find with risotto that I need a little something to start and was slightly sick of salad. This white bean bruschetta was the perfect compliment and also gave me a great new appetizer to add to my repertoire.  Enjoy!

White Bean Bruschetta

  Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

Two garlic cloves, chopped

4 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 cups of cannellini (white) beans, cooked or canned

Salt and pepper to taste

1 loaf country bread, sliced

1 bunch arugula, cut into strips

2 tomatoes, diced

Extra olive oil for drizzling on bruschetta

Instructions:

In a sauté pan over low heat, combine olive oil, garlic, and rosemary and cook for five minutes. Add the beans and cook for approximately 10 minutes, adding bean liquid if mixture begins to dry out. Season with salt and pepper and mash with a fork to make a rough paste.

Grill sliced bread under broiler or on grill until slightly toasted. Remove and drizzle with olive oil. Spread bean purée on each slice, sprinkle with arugula and diced tomatoes, and drizzle with a touch more olive oil.

You can use this spread as described above or as a spread on sandwiches. It would also work well with different vegetables. It’s so yummy!  

Recipe found at VegNews.

Baked Risotto with Spring-ish Vegetables

Baked Risotto - Ingredients:

1 cup Arborio Rice

2 ½ cups homemade or good quality vegetable stock

Juice of 1 orange

Tossed Green Veggies - Ingredients:  

70g (2.5 oz) almonds, roughly chopped

1/3 cup vegetable stock

Juice of 1 orange

1 tsp Dijon mustard

250g (9 oz) green beans, topped & tailed

1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed

1 tbs olive oil

zest of 1 orange

1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/356°F  

Add the Arborio rice, stock and orange juice to a baking dish and combine. Cover with a tight fitting lid or with foil and bake in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes until nearly all liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente.

Prepare the green veggies just before serving so within the last 10 minutes of the baked risotto cooking time.

Whisk the stock, orange juice and Dijon mustard in a small jug or bowl until smooth, set aside.

Heat a good sized frypan or wok add the almonds and dry roast tossing continually, cooking over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until just brown.

Add the beans and asparagus and drizzle with olive oil, toss in the pan to coat with oil, add the stock and mustard mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the zest and spinach and cook for a further minute or until the spinach is just wilted.

Serve immediately accompanied by spoonfuls or warm baked risotto. 

I love this because the risotto is baked, which is a nice break from the constant stirring. If you like it a little more mushy (like me) add a little more liquid. I also tried it with the orange as suggested but later made it with lemon which I much prefer. Add a little parmesan cheese to serve for some added flavor.

Recipe found at Veggie Num Num.