Vegan Jade Pearl Risotto with Butternut Squash

I've been mesmerized by the jade pearl rice at Whole Foods now for weeks and finally bucked up and bought 2 pounds of it over the weekend and convinced myself I could nail a risotto for the first time and not go to bed hungry if I screwed up. Plus I thought the rice was stunning in color and since you eat with your eyes first, I was pumped. And to celebrate the first day of fall, roasted butternut squash seemed like the perfect companion to the risotto.

I followed this oprah.com recipe and hoped that switching the rice and using half the added fat that was called wouldn't cause the dish to fall apart and in the end and now, after my first time trying risotto I'm hooked. Winter is going to be way awesome with this dish up my sleeve.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c jade pearl rice
• 4 1/2 c vegetable stock
• 1 c coconut milk
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 T white onion
• 1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 2 c diced butternut squash
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 F and on a lined baking sheet add butternut squash and salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.

2. Dice white onion and set aside.

3. In a large pot bring the vegetable stock and coconut milk to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.

3. In a large(r) pot, add olive oil and onions and saute until onions are soft. About 3 minutes.

4. Add the jade pearl rice and coconut flakes and stir for one minute until the remaining olive oil is soaked up.

5. Add the white wine to the rice and stir until almost all of the wine is absorbed.

6. Add the warm stock, 1 ladle at a time until almost all absorbed before adding another.

7. Stir continuously until almost all the stock is gone and the rice is tender. About 35 minutes. The rice will almost quadruple in size. Your arms will become tired, but keep stirring! It's worth it!

8. Pull the roasted butternut squash out of the oven. I love when butternut squash has charred corners and beginning to caramelizes itself, brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetable. 

9. Scoop your delicious jade green risotto into a bowl and top with the butternut squash. 

Before you take a bite you need to try this short exercise. Close your eyes, picture you in the general midwest location, let's say southeast Michigan. Now visual looking outside your window, it's frosty and probably a brisk 32 F, there may even be a clean layer of snow on the ground. Now picture the fireplace roaring, you're wrapped in a designer throw, Gucci is coming to mind. Now you're ready for your first bite of this risotto. If this isn't comfort food at it's finest you did something wrong, and I never ever ever want to be wrong with this. Simply amazing. Cannot recommend this vegan risotto dish more to anybody who is scared of trying risotto for the first time.

Good luck!

Kate