Tastes Like Chicken Lemon-y Rissotto
Tastes Like Chicken Lemon-y Rissotto
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 30 minutes | Total time: 1.5 hours
One of the (many) tragedies of being a gluten-free vegetarian, is that there are so many nostalgic and comforting dishes that one must sacrifice in the name of diet and health. While most hot food can help ease the soul and cure any number of ailments, it breaks my heart that I can’t whip up a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup for Lisa when she’s feeling under the weather, down in the dumps, or just in need of something rich and delicious. I created this risotto dish in an effort to mimic/recreate the lemony soothing wonder of chicken soup, and while the risotto takes it firmly out of soup territory, it is one of Lisa’s favorite recipes and super filling! I like to pile on the cheese for this one, stirring it in and using it as a garnish on top. If you’re vegan, this is the one recipe in the book you can’t truly enjoy. Sorry!
Ingredients
1 batch of Andy’s Crispy Spicy Tofu
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled, and cut into thin discs
½ cup white wine, if you have some to spare!
7-8 cups veggie broth
4 medium sized Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ bunch curly parsley, stems removed and roughly chopped
Directions
After you’ve cooked the tofu, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and sauté garlic until fragrant (no vampires here!), about 1 minute.
Add in the onions and the carrots, seasoning generously with salt and pepper; cook until veggies are soft, 7-10 minutes.
Splash in some wine—about a half cup, if you’re feeling fancy—and then let it cook down a bit for about 2 minutes.
Stir in risotto and give it a good mix; add in broth slowly, 1 cup at a time. (If you prefer a broth-ier risotto, make some extra and keep on reserve.) Bring to a boil.
Toss in the potatoes, some salt, and add bay leaves.
Cook until rice is tender and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir often!
Stir in tofu and add lemon juice.
Finally, turn off the heat and stir in cream. Add salt and pepper as needed. Mix in Parmesan, then top with garnishes and serve. My favorite add-ons include, but are not limited to, more Parmesan (duh), parsley, and/or red pepper flakes. Enjoy!!
