Friday, May 4, 2012

Vegan Recipe - Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

It is the first Friday of the month and that means ... another delicious, vegan recipe. As most of you have heard me say (countless times) ... eating meatless meals is one of the easiest ways to walk a little gentler on the earth.

This month I am very pleased to introduce you to Cindy, the owner, author ... and chef-extraordinaire ... of Vegetarian Mamma. Cindy and her husband grew up eating meat but decided to make the switch to a vegetarian diet about 8 years ago. Their children have been raised vegetarian but since Cindy's youngest son has allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, soy and dairy, they focus more on vegan foods. They are interested in whole organic non-GMO products which are free of artificial flavors & colors. And they've recently taken an interest in adding more raw dishes to their diet.

Vegetarian Mamma recently moved to a new, beautiful site ... Cindy's own ".com"! This blog is so much fun to browse through. While you will find original vegan & vegetarian recipes (like Teriyaki Plate and Spinach, Mushrooms and Pine Nuts), you'll also find discussions on things like whether or not organic food is healthier, menu plans, recipes from other sites, DIY projects (the Homemade Bulletin Board is fabulous), reviews, deals and even an occasional giveaway. Vegetarian Mamma is a diverse, interesting site! Head over and visit for awhile!

Cindy has graciously agreed to share a recipe with us. I hope you and your family will enjoy it!

Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper
6 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons vegan "butter"
1/2 cup of your favorite Vegan White Wine
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cups arborio rice
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. First, you will need to roast the red pepper. Wash, de-seed and slice the pepper into halves. Lightly mist the pepper halves with oil and place on a baking sheet under the boiler. Soon the peppers skin will begin to blacken. When the pepper is covered in darkened patches, remove from the broiler. Place in a paper sack to cool. (Or in a covered bowl) This will allow the moisture to stay in to help loosen the skin as the peppers cool. Once the peppers cool, peel back the skin with your fingers. Once peeled, puree the peeled peppers and set aside.
  2. Splash the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a pan. Heat the pan to a medium heat, saute the chopped onions. Once onions are cooked, add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.
  3. Next, add your wine to the pan. Let the liquid cook down for about 1 minute. Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is gone and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes.
  4. Finally, stir in your roasted red pepper puree, season with salt and pepper, then ENJOY!
**You can top with Vegan Parmesan or chopped fresh parsley.


Thanks, so much, Cindy ... I can't wait to try this recipe out!

If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please send it to me HERE. And for all the recipes we've shared so far, be sure to visit our recipe page using the tabs at the top of this blog ... or by clicking HERE.