Squash Risotto

I love risotto, and am always looking to try new risotto recipes. This one called for butternut squash, but I had an acorn squash sitting on my counter for a week and thought this was the perfect way to use it. Brent might disagree, as his preferred acorn squash is cut in half and roasted with butter, maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon...which is also super good. But I digress. The recipe calls for 4 cups of cubed squash, which was about half the acorn squash. Next time I'll try it with the butternut squash, and maybe increase the sage a bit.

Sunday Night Dinner - Spicy Sausage and Rice

Now that our 30 Day Dinner Challenge is over, I've been really enjoying coming up with recipes based on some of the leftover ingredients we have in the freezer and cupboard. It's difficult at times for me to blog these recipes because I am notorious for not measuring or timing anything. So with a warning that all measurements and times are approximate, here is our Sunday night dinner from this week.

Mushroom Barley Risotto

I've tried cooking with barley a couple of different times, and while I'm still not 100% convinced I like it, there are a couple of things to note.

First, pot barley and pearl barley are two very different grains, even though they look almost identical. Pot barley takes longer to cook as it is the whole grain with only the outer inedible hull removed. Pearl barley has been polished, and is quicker cooking, but not as nutritious. I'm pretty sure one of the times I didn't like the recipe I was using pearl barley instead of pot barley, and just overcooked the whole thing.

Secondly, my favourite recipes with barley so far have included other grains that provide a texture contrast. One example is a barley and rice salad. While the barley is a little chewy, the crunchier rice evens out the texture experience.

I'm going to continue to experiment with barley, as with lots of other grains. This recipe below was pretty good, although the texture still isn't my favourite.

Mushroom Barley Risotto

- 1 pkg (14g) mixed dried mushrooms

- 3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 small onion, diced

- 3 green onions, sliced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 cup sliced fresh cremini mushrooms

- 1 1/4 cup pot barley

- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

In heatproof bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over dried mushrooms; let stand for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid, coarsely chop and set aside.

In saucepan, bring soaking liquid, chicken broth and 2 1/2 cups water to simmer; reduce heat and keep warm.

In separate saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion, green onions and garlic until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Add soaked mushrooms and cremini mushrooms; saute until almost no liquid remains, about 5 minutes.

Add barley; cook, stirring to coat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add hot broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until liquid is absorbed before adding more. This process will take about 45 minutes, until creamy and barley is tender but still slightly firm.

Stir in parsley and season with salt. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Risotto

Risotto is such a versatile dish. You can take a base and add vegetables, meat, different cheeses, and create a new dish every time. This dish used up some vegetables we had left in the crisper, and just thinking about it now I wish I had some left!

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Risotto

- Cauliflower and Broccoli, in florets (about 2-3 cups)

- Extra Virgin Olive oil

- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

- half leek, chopped

- 1 cup arborio rice

- 1/4 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth

- 1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

In large bowl, toss together cauliflower, broccoli and 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast on greased baking dish in 400F oven for about 25-30 minutes, until golden and tender.

In small saucepan, bring broth and 1 3/4 cups water to a boil, reduce heat and keep warm.

In large saucepan, heat one tbsp of oil over medium heat. Cook leek, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring to coat and toast grains. Add wine or 1/4 cup stock and cook until no liquid remains, about 1 minute.

Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Rice should be loose, creamy, and slightly firm in middle. Stir in roasted vegetables, parmesan and spinach.

Hypercolour Bean and Mushroom Risotto

I'm a huge fan of risotto, and have tried my hand at many different types. Last time I made a simple pea and parmesan risotto for dinner I kept thinking that I wish I had mushrooms to add. Now after making this Canadian Living Mushroom Risotto, I realized that just adding mushrooms wouldn't have cut it. The key is to reconstitute dried mushrooms, using the liquid as the broth. Wow! What awesome flavours!

Now, this recipe was for a Green Bean and Mushroom Risotto. I already had some awesome purple beans I'd grabbed earlier in the week, and I thought they would make the risotto look so cool, with the deep purple set against the mushrooms. Now, I had not yet cooked these beans, so little did I know that they were hypercolour (I do hope some people get that reference!). When they were cooking I looked away for a minute or two, and when I looked back they had turned green! Regardless, the dinner was awesome!

Hypercolour Bean and Mushroom Risotto

- 1 pkg dried mushrooms (I used Porcini's I think?)

- 1 cup hot vegetable stock

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- salt and pepper

- 1 cup arborio rice

- 1/3 cup dry white wine

- 1 cup purple beans, cut

- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigianno

- 2 tbsp parsley

In heatproof bowl, soak mushrooms in 2 cups boiling water until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon; chop and set aside. Strain liquid into measuring cup; add stock and enough water to make 3 cups. Set aside.

In large shallow saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat; fry mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add rice, stirring to coat. Add wine; cook, stirring constantly until no liquid remains. Add 1 - 1/2 cups of stock mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after

each addition until completely absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Add beans. Add remaining stock mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until completely absorbed and rice is creamy and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, parsley and remaining butter.

Sunday Night Dinner - Shrimp with Rice and Kale

This weekend sadly marked the last weekend of the West End Farmer's Market. But not to fear, there are Winter Markets. For info go to www.eatlocal.org. It just won't be the same getting up on Saturday mornings and not having the Market to go to for our weekly grocery run. There are just so many good things you can find. Like last weekend, one of the fish vendors had some frozen cold water shrimp (which I didn't realize were pink when raw until I asked the vendor about it). So for dinner tonight I wanted to make something with our market finds from this week, using that shrimp from last weekend. Now I only wish I would have bought more of the shrimp when he was there. They were very tasty, slightly smaller than other shrimp, but with more of a salty ocean water taste. Maybe at the Winter Market...


Shrimp with Rice and Kale adapted from a Canadian Living recipe
- 1 small to medium leek, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/3 cups long-grain rice
- 2 2/3 cups liquid (I only had 1 cup of veggie stock, used water for the rest)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 2-3 cups)
- 2-3 cups chopped kale

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Fry leek, garlic and salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and toss to coat. Add stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Gently stir shrimp, kale and lemon juice into rice mixture; cover and cook until shrimp are cooked through and kale is wilted, about 5 minutes.

Sunday Night Dinner - Stuffed Peppers

This weekend for our dinner on Sunday night I wanted to do something with all of the great stuff we got at the market this weekend. So I decided to try my hand at making stuffed peppers. I went online and started looking through different recipes, and came up with this one to use some of the stuff I got from the market.

Reebs' Stuffed Peppers
- 4 peppers, red, orange, yellow or green
- olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- half onion, chopped
- 2-3 carrots, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped red pepper
- 1-2 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups cooked rice
- lemon juice from half a lemon
- cheese (I used this cheese from this farm)

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stuff. Lay cut side up in a glass baking dish. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots and chopped pepper about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking up with spoon until meat is browned. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer 5 minutes. Add rice and mix together until heated through.Spoon into peppers. Pour 1-2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup water and lemon juice around peppers. Cover with foil. Bake in 400 oven for 50 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with grated cheese, and cook 15 minutes until cheese is browned and peppers are tender.

Sunday Night Dinner - Risotto with Green Veggies

This weekend we biked over to the Kitsilano Farmer's Market on Sunday, because we missed the West End one on Saturday. While at the market I found some english peas. I love these and could seriously just shell and eat them for a snack. I then saw some asparagus, and decided to make a risotto for dinner. When I got home I noticed the kale growing on the balcony was getting pretty bushy, so I grabbed some of that for the risotto as well.

Risotto with Asparagus, Peas and Kale
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and 1 1/2 cups water, heated and kept warm

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 onion, finely diced
- 10 asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 1 cup arborio (short grain) rice
- 1/4 cup white wine (or vegetable broth if you're stuck)
- 1 cup shelled, fresh english peas
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- juice of 1/2 lemon

In a medium saucepan, saute onino and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat. Add rice, stirring to coat. Pour in wine, cook stirring until no liquid remains, around 2 minutes.

Begin adding the broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding more broth. This will use up about 2 1/2 cups of the broth. Once you have added the last half cup of broth, add asparagus. Continue stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. This slow cooking process can take up to 20 minutes, so be patient, it is worth it.

Add peas, kale and the rest of the broth (about 1/4 cup). Cook stirring for about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and about 3/4 of the cheese. Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese.

Rice and Chickpea Pilaf

This quick dinner comes from kitchen staples - onions, carrots, rice, stock and beans. Any grain works for this recipe, just make sure to adjust the time and the liquid quantities as needed.


Rice and Chickpea Pilaf
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 carrots, chopped
- pinch of dried oregano
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups stock
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- salt and pepper

In large saucepan, saute onion, carrot and oregano in oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat, cooking for a minute.

Stir in stock and pinch of salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in peas and chickpeas. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Stir in lemon juice and pepper. Enjoy!

Quick Sausage Risotto

This recipe for quick Risotto is great for those cold winter nights. It's really quick, pretty versatile and just really yummy!

This is what you need:

8oz hot or mild Italian sausage

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 each onion and zucchini, chopped
Pinch dried oregano

Salt and Pepper

1 1/2 cups of short grain Italian rice (Arborio is a good choice)
3 1/2 cups stock (chicken, turkey, veggie, whatever you have)
1 tomato, chopped (or a 28oz can works)
1/4 cup grated hard cheese (Parmesan or Asiago are favs)
Chopped fresh parsley


Whenever I'm making anything, I make sure that I first have all
the ingredients or a suitable substitution, and then
get my measuring and chopping out of the way.


To make the risotto, first remove the casings from the sausage. Brown the meat, breaking up with a spoon until browned, drain off fat.


Add garlic, onion, zucchini, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened. Add rice, stirring to coat.

Add 3 cups of the stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover and simmer, stirring once, for 15 minutes.
Add remaining stock; simmer, stirring often, until moist and creamy, 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, cheese and parsley.


Now grab some bread and a nice glass of wine, a good book and relax and enjoy. Great as leftovers as well!