5 stars

Last night after an extremely sweaty hot yoga class I came back ready for some good food. I made this Quinoa Risotto  with just a few modifications. I halved it, omitted the artichoke hearts (because I don't really like them), used all baby portobellos, and only 1 T olive oil. The result: absolutely amazing. SO creamy and cheesy. My dad even said it was one of the best meals I've made. I will definitely be making different variations of this in the future because I LOVE risotto but find it sort of a pain to make with arborio rice---you have to constantly stir or else it will stick. I had no problem whatsoever with this sticking to the pan and I definitely was not constantly stirring!

Sorry the picture isn't the greatest. I'm luckily having leftovers for dinner tonight so I'll try for a better one then. I was just too excited to eat last night that I snapped a quick picture and dug in!

Next up: Wheatberry Cereal

I'm going to the morning yoga class this morning which means cold cereal for breakfast. Not only is it fast to make, but it's one of the few breakfasts that I can eat which will sit ok in my stomach during the class. 

Usually I have a mix of fiber one, kashi go lean, banana, skim, and flax but today I decided to switch it up and add my new favorite food: wheatberries. I subbed them in for the banana and the result was amazing. I'm fuller than I usually am right after eating (which might not be a good thing for yoga---we'll have to wait for the verdict on that). The thing with cold cereal is that it usually doesn't hold me over very long and I'm usually starving about 2.5-3 hours later whereas my other breakfasts usually hold me over a good 4-5 hours. So we'll see how the addition of wheatberries plays into the cereal's staying power.

Risotto

So, two nights ago I made artichoke, asparagua, and mushroom quinoa risotto, something that my mom and I have been dying to make for a while. We both love risotto, and are into quinoa (which if you haven't had is DELICIOUS, and extremely healthy...its full protein, good source of fiber...the list goes on). We found the recipe in the July issue of Bon Appetit:
*6 main-course or 8 to 10 side-dish
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 ounces assorted wild mushrooms (such as chanterelles, stemmed shiitakes, oyster, and morels), thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups quinoa (about 13 ounces), rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 1/2 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 pound asparagua, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 8-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (I used canned)
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shaved Manchego cheese (a Spanish cheese made from sheep's milk)

Melt butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute until brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa; saute 2 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups broth; cook 10 minutes. Add asparagus and artichoke hearts; simmer until quinoa and vegetables are tender, stirring often and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed, about 7 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and reserved mushrooms. Stir until cheese melts and mushrooms are heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide risotto among bowls, garnish with shave Manchego cheese, and serve.
We cut the recipe in half since there were only two of us. It was GREAT, I would make this again and again. I didn't use quite as much butter and oil as the recipe called for, and it was still fine. Also, Manchego cheese is really yummy, I had never had it, but it adds a lot to this dish, so don't cut it out!