This is officially hands-down one of my favourite dishes! It was so easy to whip up and oh-so-delicious! Usually traditional creamy risotto is achieved with the addition of cheese and butter but I was able recreate the creaminess with no dairy products, using just coconut milk and nutritional yeast (also known on the web as “nooch”). If you don’t know about nutritional yeast yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a try ;). What is it, you ask? Here is a great article summarizing what it is and how you can use it (by Susan Voisin). I personally love to use it because of its nutritional value (great source of vitamin B12, selenium, zinc and protein as well) and delicious “cheesy” savory flavour.

However, since I stay away from cheese and all other dairy products most of the time, nooch is the perfect addition to any meals I make that usually would call for cheese ;).

As for the coconut milk, it gives it a nice “creamy” and smooth consistence. Plus, the health benefits of the coconut make it a great healthy substitute for dairy milk.

I made this meal on a week night (read- short on time), so it was perfect. I had some brown rice leftovers (from the previous day) so I wanted to put it to good use. You can use barley as well, but I try to avoid gluten grains whenever possible (as it may cause bloating), especially when it can easily be substituted.

So here is the recipe for this delicious, nutritious and quick meal:

Creamy Coconut Kale Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of cooked brown rice (leftovers are perfect for this)
• 4-6 cups of liquid (I used vegetable broth, but you can use water and adjust your seasonings accordingly)
• 3 garlic cloves (crushed and chopped finely)
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 2-3 bay leaves
• zest of lemon
• 1.5 cup of chopped and de-stemmed kale
• 1 cup of chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 cup of FULL fat coconut milk (use organic preferably)
• 1 Tbsp of virgin coconut oil
• 1-2 Tbsp of nutritional yeast (aka “nooch”)
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: red pepper flakes (if you enjoy spicy dishes like me ;))

 

How to:

First, start by sautéeing your garlic & onion with the coconut oil into a frying pan (make sure you do not burn the garlic!). Then add your your cooked rice and seasonings and mix everything in (to make the rice fragrant).

Mix in the liquid, one cup at a time, all the while stirring to achieve a soft-textured rice (it should take about 15- 20 minutes). Also add your zest of lemon at this stage.

Add in your vegetables (I chose kale and shiitake mushrooms) and let them soften into the rice (do  NOT overcook your veggies)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in your coconut milk shortly after and let everything simmer for 3 to 5 minutes (just enough time to let the coconut milk get nice and warm).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once everything is warm and creamy, serve into a bowl.

Add in your nutritional yeast (if desired) and red pepper flakes.

That all there is to it, folks.

 

A really easy and comforting winter meal. Enjoy :).

– Sarah.

Note: Inspiration for this recipe from Jason’s Bites.