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This dish rings in spring in the best way possible. A creamy carrot-sunflower puree helps keep the risotto vegan while the fresh pea shoots bring the greens.
While I love making a delicious, cheese-based risotto, there’s something magical about taking this classic dish and making it vegan. My first attempts were alright but as time goes on, I find a few more tricks to make a delicious dish without one ounce of cheese.
This might be a bit like cheating but it gets the job done. Traditional arborio rice releases starch, which is where some of the creaminess comes from. Whole grains don’t quite act the same. However, if you pulse the grain in a food processor or blender a few times, you get a bit of grain dust. This dust turns into the thickening agent in the vegan risotto.
The best part about this: it’s a formula you can use with many different grains. I’ve found this works well with spelt, einkorn, farro, and barley. I’ve also had success with using whole oat groats (although I find the texture to be a bit gummier than the others mentioned).
In the realm of alternative dairy choices, sunflower seeds are still relatively not used. Sure, you could use almond, cashew, coconut, soy, or oat but I really love the cheapness, ease of use, and flavor of the sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds puree smooth with relatively little soaking time.
Of course, you don’t have to feel obligated to use sunflower seeds. Cashew cream, almond cream, or even something like this millet cream could work (although it’s rare that I double down on two grains in one dish unless I’m making a pilaf).
Also, I’m a bit of a carrot lover and they cook tender in the broth. You could, however, use squash puree, sweet potato puree, or I’ve been know in the summer to use a homemade version of creamed corn.
I realize this recipe is more involved but it’s worth it. Once you get the risotto going, the topping comes together quickly. For the ultimate spring risotto, I love using the pea shoots. I feel like the shoots are everything wonderful about spring: fresh, tender, and vibrant.
Add to that the dill and hazelnuts, it’s a winning salad-like topping. You could also use sunflower seeds in the topping but I like the flavor and crunch of the hazelnuts. My second choices would be almonds slices.
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The post Sunflower Carrot Risotto with Hazelnut-Pea Shoots appeared first on Naturally..
Hi friends! How’s the week treating ya? I’m back in Tucson and back into the swing of things over here. I have two podcast interviews this morning – the show will be back the week of June 3 – an Orangetheory class, and can’t wait to catch up with the crew tonight. I only technically missed one night from home, but after being gone last weekend, too, it feels like a lot! I’ve missed my lil nuggets so much.
Portland was such a blast!! After flying into town, I grabbed a rental car and drove to my hotel at the Mark Spencer. It was a quaint and charming spot with a beautiful interior. Some pics of my room:
(They only had rooms with two beds available when I booked so I just rolled with it)
I mostly chose this hotel because of its proximity to a lot of local restaurants and shops! I dropped off my luggage and headed straight to explore. First stop was Powell’s Books, which so many of you had recommended. It was an enormous bookstore with rows and rows of new and used books. They also had a coffee shop, huge kids’ area, and a little gifts section. I could have spent hours browsing and enjoying the smell of books.
Next, I walked down to take a class at barre3 in the Pearl District. After an entire day of sitting, I was ready to shake my legs out a bit. When I arrived at the studio, I found out that it was their flagship location, dubbed “The Pearl.” This is where the magic began and the crazy thing is that the founder, Sadie Lincoln, had taught a class at that location that very morning.
One of my favorite things about barre3 is that it’s so consistent. You know exactly what to expect each time you go to a class; a mixture of mind-body connection, breath work, and quad-burning leg work. Barre has been missing from my routine quite a bit lately – I get bored *teaching* myself barre and it can be tough to work studio classes into my schedule- but it’s still one of my favorite formats. Hopefully P will be into the Play Lounge again one of these days! (She’ll only go if her best friend is there.) Stacey led this class and she was an incredible instructor. She was very motivating and crushed my legs in the best way possible.
After barre, I went back to the hotel for a quick change and then met Rachel at Tasty n’ Alder for dinner.
Rachel and I connected quite a few years ago when I was in Portland for a blog event. We’ve stayed in contact through Instagram since then, so when I found out I’d be in Portland for a night, I reached out and see if she wanted to meet for dinner and wine.
The food at Tasty n’ Alder was WONDERFUL. I feel like Portland is dotted with unique and delicious restaurants everywhere you look, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. The vibe reminded me of our beloved Commoner & Co. – rustic and cozy, with modern spins on classic dishes. We shared a cheese board, the Brussels sprouts (which were crispy and lightly sweet), the short rib (which came with housemade kimchi) and the potato donuts. I just wanted to curl up and live in these. I drank wine, we chatted about books and Rachel’s recent retreat to Bali, and it was perfect.
Wednesday morning, I forced myself to wake up early so I could grab a quick breakfast at the hotel before driving to Lake Oswego.
The entire drive down, I was in awe of the scenery. It was such a gorgeous drive: lush green landscapes, blooming cherry blossoms, and hiking trails. I feel like I want to live there, or at least visit for longer than 24 hours.
Before some fun brand meetings, I was able to check out a Starcycle class. (I feel like usually I don’t get the chance to work out twice on vacation since I’m with the fam, but this time since it was just me, I decided to live it up.) I’m a huge fan of boutique cycling studio classes and this one was unlike any of the ones I’ve tried. It was a party on the bike – the music was AWESOME – and they have childcare. It felt great to get in some cardio, especially since I’d be spending a huge chunk of the day sitting on an airplane.
For lunch, I grabbed a giant salad at Garden Bar and headed to the airport. I was pumped to see that Blue Star donuts were at the airport when I arrived.
You guys said they were better than Voodoo Donuts, and you don’t lie. It was seriously the best donut I’ve had in my entire life.
I also brought back some apple fritters for the girls, so they had those with their scrambled eggs this morning and were pumped about life.
The flights back were pretty uneventful, and I stopped in the lounge for a snack:
(vegetables! and wine)
finally finished China Rich Girlfriend, and started The 6 Keys and The Great Alone. I already can’t put this one down.
I hope you have a great day and I’ll see ya in the morning with some faves!
xo
Gina
Looking for a workout? try this leg and booty burner!
The post Portland, I love ya appeared first on The Fitnessista.
Cinnamon rolls are super soft and puffy deliciousness packed with cinnamon sugar, but for some of us sometimes they can be heavy or [More]
