Whole Grain Faux Risotto & Roasted Veggies / Energy Balls

I picked up a bag of Bob's Red Mill Grande Whole Grains yesterday and decided to try the risotto recipe on the back. As I was cooking it up this evening I realized it's not really a risotto at all, basically just a whole grain blend ("whole grain wheat, brown rice, oats, rye, triticale, barley, Kamut berries, buckwheat, and sesame seeds") cooked up with traditional risotto ingredients. There is only a portion of rice in the mix, no gradual adding of the broth, and no belabored yet soothing stirring for 20+ minutes. I felt a little cheated.

I also found some Bunapi (White Beech) mushrooms during my shopping. They were cute and organic so figured I'd give them a whirl in something, that something turning out to be this dish, along with some button mushrooms. I've tweaked the title and the ingredients:

Whole Grain Faux Risotto

1 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
10 oz mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup white wine (I used a moscato cuz it's what was in the fridge)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Grande Whole Grains
About 1 cup of Daiya mozzarella cheese (in lieu of the parmesan called for, but vegan parm and/or nooch might be yummy if you have some on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

The original recipe called for 2 cups of frozen peas. I wasn't feeling it so left them out.

Add the oil and EB butter to a saucepan over med-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and then the mushrooms til browned.



Pour in the wine and stir up the yummy bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the veggie broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and let it fester for 40 minutes. If you're using the peas add them in after the 40 minutes, and stir to defrost. Turn off the heat and add the salt, pepper and vegan cheese, stirring to melt.

While all this festering is transpiring, I'm sipping some of that moscato and chopping veggies to roast: About half a butternut squash, 4 carrots, an onion, and 3-4 stalks of celery. Add some olive oil, garlic powder, S&P, and oregano. Throw on a pan in a preheated 425 oven for about 40 minutes.




Roasted veggies are probably my favorite mode of veggie transportation, especially in the winter. Tonight's variety was pretty tame, but generally it's no holds barred.

This meal: Carrot & celery-hating carnivorous-husband Approved (raved about the veggies and went back for seconds)! It turned out creamy and delicious.




Save the squash seeds for the chickens...




It's Monday night after a long holiday weekend (happy new year to you and yours!), so after dinner I'm thinking prep for the week. I work at home, very early in the morning, and like a bite or two of something to hold me over until my real breakfast a few hours later. I'm a grazer. A fun and hearty little snack I used to make all the time but haven't for awhile: Energy Balls. The original recipe came from Sara Snow's show on the Discovery Health channel. She made them into patties; but balls are more fun, given the texture, IMO. I've also tweaked the recipe a bit (I can't leave anything alone). They were well loved at preschool when my girls were little. I usually use peanut butter, but any nut butter is yummy if peanuts are a problem. Tonight I used almond.



Energy Balls

2-1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup nut butter
1 cup boiling water or coffee
1/2 cup flax (ground or seeds)
1 Tbsp spirulina (optional - can be found at health food stores)
1 Tbsp cinnamon (optional...I've used allspice too - have fun with it)

Mix all. Let soak up the water/coffee for a 5-10 minutes. Scoop into balls (1/8- or 1/4-cup) and drop on parchment paper or a plate. When set a little more, put them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes approximately 24 smaller balls or 12 larger balls, respective to scoop size.