Meatless Monday: Wild Rice Risotto

Happy Thanksgiving week to our friends in the US.

No matter where you live, taking time to be grateful for what you have is important.

Being thankful and grateful is healthy for your mind, body and soul.

"Paul Mills, a professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine did a study. He recruited [people] who already had some damage to their heart, either through years of sustained high blood pressure or as a result of heart attack or even an infection of the heart itself. They each filled out a standard questionnaire to rate how grateful they felt for the people, places or things in their lives. It turned out the more grateful people were, the healthier they were. 'They had less depressed mood, slept better and had more energy,' says Mills. And when Mills did blood tests to measure inflammation, the body's natural response to injury, or plaque buildup in the arteries, he found lower levels among those who were grateful — an indication of better heart health"

~adapted from NPR.org

As this study shows, its not only the food you put in your body that keeps you healthy and your heart strong, practicing gratitude and being thankful for all that you have also contributes to your health.

What are you grateful for today?

It can be something as small as a warm cup of tea in your hands, your favourite song playing on the radio or the beautiful shining sun...whatever it is for you, take a minute and truly be grateful - its comfort food for your soul.

Speaking of comfort food - today's recipe is a Wild Rice Risotto with mushrooms and kale. It is hearty, healthy and can be a perfect dish for your Thanksgiving meal...

Before you start cooking, take a deep breath and be grateful for the fresh, healthy food you are about to make.

Enjoy...

Wild Rice Risotto

serves 4 - 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable broth, divided

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced

8 kale leaves, torn

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 white onion

1 1/2 cups wild rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp Earth Balance

Fresh ground sea salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

In a large saucepan, sauté the mushrooms and kale with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and garlic powder over medium heat until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot, cook the onion in 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium heat until onion begins to soften. Add rice and stir to coat with oil for about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Begin adding 1/2 cup of the warm broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring until all the broth is absorbed - about 20 minutes.  

Turn the heat to low and add in the cooked mushrooms and kale, nutritional yeast and Earth Balance. Stir to mix everything together and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. 

Thank you for reading...
Sending you sunshine, happiness and wild rice risotto love,
Kim

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