VEGAN RISOTTO IN CLAPHAM

after three weeks exploring the european continent, we ended our journey in (surprisingly sunny) ol' London town - staying with a friend who was ever so accomodating, allowing us to occupy her entire living room with our baggage and selves for a number of days! (thanks sarah!!) 

in love with sarah's cute kitchen... and excited by the chance to have a home-cooked meal... we whipped up a creamy vegan risotto that was delish! 

how? 

400 g of aborio rice

1/2 a large brown onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

2 cups of sliced mushrooms 

1/2 bag of rocket (arugula) - roughly 2 cups

2 vegetable stock cubes

1 L of water

heat the vegetable oil in a risotto pan or soup pot, adding the onion and garlic once the oil is hot. saute until the onion and garlic are translucent. add the rice and coat in the oil/onion/garlic mixture.

in a separate saucepan, add the water and stock cube and heat to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. 

add 1 ladle of the stock to the rice pot and stir vigorously until the starch starts exuding from the rice. once the stock has been absorbed add another ladle full. repeat until all the stock has been used. 

add the mushrooms and cook until tender. add the thawed peas and cook for a further 5 minutes. add the rocket and stir to combine, cover and leave for 5 minutes. 

to boost the creamy-factor of your risotto you can add a tablespoon of nuttelex, or other non-dairy spread, and 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy kick if desired. our risotto was fab and creamy without the added extras - meaning no added fat! 

serves 4