Dairy-Free Creamy Risotto

Ingredients:

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• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

• 2 cups vegetables of your choice, finely diced

• salt, pepper and other seasoning of your choice (suggested: basil, oregano, etc).

• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced

• 1/2 cups arborio rice

• 5-6 cups broth (vegetable and/or chicken works best)

• 2 to 3 Tbsp dairy-free cream cheese (an herb and garlic flavored one is especially nice for this).

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Directions:

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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Cook the 2 cups of veggies until fork tender. Season with salt, pepper and other seasoning. Remove veggies from the pan into a bowl and cover to keep warm.

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Add the other Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add the diced onion. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir the dry rice into the cooked onion to let it toast (about 1 minute). Reduce the heat to medium-low.

 

Add 1 cup of the broth. Stir frequently until the rice absorbs almost all of the broth. Add another cup of the broth. Again, stir frequently until the ricke absorbs most of the broth. Continue to do this until all the broth is used up and the rice is al dente (soft, but not mushy). 

 

Turn the heat down to low. Stir the reserved veggies back into the rice. Add the dairy-free cream cheese, stirring well to melt throughout the rice. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired. 

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This dish works well as a side dish, but is equally good as a main dish if pre-cooked protein is added at the end. Chicken works well for this, as does shrimp. If using scallops, though, serve them on top of the risotto rather than mixing them into the rice, as they are delicate and will fall apart if mixed directly into the risotto.

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