Recipe-Healthy Eating,Healthy Heart,Diabetic Friendly, Vegetarian, Great Tasting simple food.

Roast Pumpkin & Mushroom Risotto.

Decided I wanted a risotto for dinner that tasted great and was good for me. Mmmmmm, so that means, oil is out, dairy is out, gluten is out, fat is out, meat is out. Geez, what's left? Let's check out what's in the refrigerator.......Pumpkin, celery, red capsicum, Portobello mushrooms, red onion, garlic, vegetable stock, white wine, etc mmmmm. Ok, in the pantry I've got risotto rice etc. So, I made up this recipe below. Hope you like it as much as I do. Sorry about the photo. I started eating before I remembered to take a photo, it smelled so good. I had already mixed in the baby spinach and rocket although you can't see them in the photo, I think they went to the bottom! Anyway, I enjoyed it, so even though the photo isn't as pretty as it could be, the proof is in the eating. Give it a go.

Ingredients:

450g pumpkin - cut into cubes and roasted with a sprinkle of water and then Mexican seasoning. Set aside when cooked.

1 clove crushed garlic,

1 litre Vegetable stock

100g white wine (Or substitute for water if you don't want alcohol)

1/2 cup each of baby spinach & rocket for garnish.

1 red onion finely diced

1/2 red capsicum diced

1 stick celery diced

120g Portobello mushrooms (or any of your choosing)

350-400g Arborio rice

Method:

Dice pumpkin, put in baking dish with a sprinkling of water. Dust with Mexican seasoning or your favourite. I also like curry power or nutmeg for a change.

Roast at 180C until golden brown and cooked, (about 40mins) set aside.

Put rice into a colander and rinse under cold water until it runs clear.

Dice vegetables.

Thermomix instructions:

Add chopped onion, garlic and a good splash of stock to TM. Cook 2-3 mins at 100C on speed 1 with MC off. Add all remaining ingredients except pumpkin and garnish. Cook about 20mins at 100C on Reverse + speed soft. Taste, add cracked black pepper and salt to your liking. Add roasted pumpkin and cook 3mins at 100C on Reverse + speed soft to heat through.

Put into serving dish, garnish with baby spinach & rocket. Enjoy.

Dutch Oven or Casserole dish. I like it cooked in the dutch oven best. (cast iron casserole lined with enamel)

Add onion, garlic, and a good splash of stock to dish on stove top element. Cook stirring until transparent and fragrant. Add all other ingredients except Pumpkin and garnish. Put in oven with the lid on and cook about 40mins at 180C, stirring once or twice, until cooked to your liking. Taste and add cracked black pepper and salt to your liking. Gently mix through roasted pumpkin and put back in oven for 10 mins to heat through. Put into serving dish and top with green garnish. Enjoy.

If you don't need to be dairy free, you can also stir through some crumbled feta of your choice when you place the risotto into the serving dish and then add your garnish.

Pumpkin & Mushroom Risotto (sorry about the garnish, I had already stirred it through and started eating)

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