Chipotle Mushroom Risotto with Brussel Sprouts (Veg)

Please allow me to introduce you this spicy, creamy, cheesy, well textured, ooey gooey, can’t get enough of this dish!

Aroborio rice tends to last me longer than I’d like to admit. One cup yeilds about 3 cups cooked, and that’s a lot of risotto! (A main course for two very hungry adults, which is usually all I cook for. Sometimes there is a little left over for a snack.) I usually mix in some onions, and a little white wine to make a beautiful side. Sometimes I’ll just cook it through with plain water and use it to make more filling and nutrient rich accompaniment for my asian dishes. However, when you’ve reached the point of no return with your brussel sprouts, and you have extra chipotle peppers and arborio rice on hand— this recipe is for you.

Note- the first image on the post is the vegan variation// aka please follow all steps but the final two which include romano cheese and a fried egg. It is hella good.

However if you are of vegetarian persuasion please do employ a few cage free eggs in this recipe. I will gladly admit that a little bit of runny yoke + the saltiness from the romano cheese takes this recipe completely over the top!

Go time!
You’ll need (for two main course servings… we eat a lot):
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups organic veggie stock
1/4 cup dry cooking sherry
3/4 cup water
3 tbs finely diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 2 medium sized pieces)
1 cup mushrooms (bellas or white), sliced
~ 20 brussel sprouts, yielding 8-10 per person (they’re big and meaty, and we found this to be enough for us, but feel free to add more if you like.)

Top with:
3 tbs chopped green onion
1/8th cup shredded romano cheese
2 eggs, fried

Preheat large saute pan and olive oil over medium heat. Place vegetable stock, sherry and water in a pot on another burner also at medium heat.

Add in rice to saute pan and toast for 2 minutes.
Slowly add 1/2 cup of warm liquid into the rice pan. Stir occasionally. Continue to add liquids as they are absorbed. (It usually takes me about 5 minutes for each 1/2 cup to be soaked up.)

Prepare brussel sprouts by washing them, then peeling off any loose leaves and cutting off the stock at the bottom. Shred cheese, chop green onion.

When about a third of the liquids remain, add chipotle peppers to rice. With your next infusion of liquid, stir in your mushrooms.

In a new pot/pan, add about an inch of water to steam sprouts. Heat to a boil, add sprouts and cover for 3-4 minutes, or until tender. At this time (if you choose) also begin frying your eggs.

Continue adding liquid until all is absorbed, and rice is creamy.

Top with green onion, cheese and egg as desired!

Steak and Mango Fajitas with Chipotle Mayo

Our neighborhood is full of mango trees, and those trees produce fruit like no other. We’re lucky enough to have generous friends, and it’s not rare to have a sweet smelling bag delivered into to our doorstep.

My favorite dishes are ones that combine a variety of textures, and flavors. These fajitas have blackened steak, and chipotle peppers for  heat, savory grilled onions and fresh spinach ribbons, fresh, sweet mango, and sour limes. I fried some plantains with cinnamon, and dusted them with brown sugar to accompany my plate with beans and rice. Also, I can’t express the importance of using high quality tortillas. I’ll be looking into learning how to make my own so I can share, but I recently stumbled upon La Tortilla Factory brand, and I can tell you I’ll never go back to any other corn store bought tortilla. Heated on a dry skillet they have a slightly chewy texture that feels freshly made. Oh, and simple ingredients are all that goes into them. Read that label, baby!

Things you’ll need:

steak
1/4 onion
2 handfulls of spinach
1 mango, diced
4-6 corn tortillas
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
blackening rub
1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tbs mayo
1 lime
grill pan

Start by preparing your protein. Cut strips at a diagonal, and mix in a bowl with seasonings (diced garlic, salt and pepper, a good amount of blackening seasoning), and a drizzle of olive oil before grilling. (* Note, tonight I grilled before cutting, and the texture was a little chewy. Cutting before grilling will ensure a better texture,  a more even coat of spices, and faster cooking time!)

As the steak cooks, prepare your toppings. Quarter an onion, and cut into thin slices. Dice the mango by cutting off quarters with as much flesh as possible, then create grids with your knife without cutting all the way through the skin. By running your knife along that edge,  you can get the most fruit, equally sized pieces, and will not crush the soft ripe fruit. Roll your spinach into a tight cigar shape, cutting with your knife through the short end of the stack will yield beautiful ribbons.

Once steak is cooked, remove and set aside. Add onions to the pan and continue to cook over medium heat. As they sweat, they will deglaze the pan and pick up any seasonings left from the steak.

In a small dish, mix adobo sauce from your can of chipotle peppers, in a 1/4 ratio with mayonnaise. The peppers hold an incredible amount of heat, so if you want to spice things up, consider dicing on very finely and adding it to your mixture.  Squeeze half a lime over meat, quarter the other half for use as garnish.

Warm tortillas in a dry pan, for about 30 seconds each side. Assemble and enjoy!