I love a delicious, creamy, satisfying risotto as much as the next person, however, I find that I rarely actually order this dish at a restaurant because they are always loaded with butter, cheese, and cream. Classic risottos can be so incredibly rich, and when I order it I often end the meal feeling sick. That is why I created a healthier version of one of my favorite dishes - a risotto made with leeks, mushrooms, and a whole grain brown rice. It’s still rich and creamy, but it will leave you feeling nourished rather than ill after enjoying. Hope you love it as much as I do!
Ingredients:
(serves 2, generously)
1 cup brown rice
2 cups mushrooms (I use shitake), cleaned and sliced
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter or ghee
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ cup white white (dry)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Add broth to a small saucepan and keep warm over low heat
Heat 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they are lightly browned and tender stirring frequently. Sprinkle with salt, give a good stir and then remove the mushrooms from heat and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil, leeks, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until tender (about 5 minutes)
Add rice and stir to toast rice a bit (about 2-3 minutes). Add wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan
Turn the heat to medium low and stir until wine is absorbed. Add broth, a ladle-full at a time, stirring until liquid is just absorbed each time. Keep adding liquid and stirring until rice is fully cooked. If you need more liquid, add additional broth or water. It will take about 45 minutes to an hour for the rice to cook through.
Once rice is fully cooked, stir in grated cheese and mushrooms and serve!
Optional: garnish with fresh parsley
Health Benefits of Brown Rice:
Brown rice is an unrefined, whole grain (unlike white rice) and therefore still has its bran and side hulls, which are rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as an excellent source of fiber.
One cup of brown rice provides us with more than 80% of the daily value of manganese, which benefits our nervous and reproductive systems and helps us synthesize fats.
The high fiber content in brown rice is important for healthy digestion and for keeping blood sugar levels stable
One cup of cooked brown rice has more than 25% of our daily value of selenium, a trace mineral that many of us do not get enough of - selenium is essential to thyroid hormone metabolism and for immune support. Another great source of selenium is brazil nuts!
Sources and additional reading:
