Special guest recipe: beetroot risotto with tofu ricotta

INGREDIENTS:

For the beetroot risotto:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed.
• 250g risotto rice, uncooked
• 90ml vegan white wine
• 1 Beetroot, peeled and shredded
  (roughly 120g)
• 500-600ml vegetable stock
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the tofu ricotta:

• 150g firm tofu, drained
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp Sunflower seeds

METHOD:

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium/high heat. Place the shallots

inside and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add in the crushed garlic and

cook for a further minute before adding the risotto rice.

2. Toast the risotto rice in the hot pan for 2 minutes, then deglaze your pan with the

vegan white wine and reduce the heat to low/medium.

3. Peel and shred the beetroot in a food processor (or do it by hand) and add the

shreds to the pan. Give it a good stir to combine everything with the rice.

4. For the next 25-30 minutes continue to add small amounts of the vegetable stock to

the pan, and stir continuously, adding more stock every time the majority has been

soaked up by the risotto rice. After adding about half of the stock, add in the thyme

and sage.

5. Continue to add stock until your rice is cooked and creamy - and the majority of the

liquid has been soaked up, then stir in the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and

remove the pan from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. For the tofu ricotta, place the tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and sunflower seeds

into a small food processor and process until smooth and creamy - you might have to

add a couple of tablespoons of water if the mix doesn’t combine thoroughly.

Alternatively use a stick blender to combine everything.

7. Serve the risotto with a dollop of the tofu ricotta and sprinkle with fresh herbs for

garnish.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you enjoyed the recipe in the comments and if you want to see more guest chefs on my blog.

And if you enjoyed this recipe you will also love my veggie rice with sunflower seed sour cream.