Mushroom & Spinach Risotto
I Couldn’t Wait Until Breakfast.
Our lower backs slowly softened as the release of tension left us in bed. There was no need to speak, for my fingers acted as eyeballs as they translated the language of your skin. The physical exchange left us silent. We were tired. We had just let go of any preconceived notions, any anxiousness, or worry about where this was going because for about five seconds we were present; and our minds were ecstatic. We were relaxed. The chemical floodgates had just let out a cocktail of norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide, and prolactin, leaving us content and hungry.
I kissed him with a smirk and wrapped in white for the kitchen. As the sheet hugged my hips and the glass bowls clacked while being taken from the cabinet, I relived our evening together. The coy first sips of wine; the political conversation over risotto; And how he said my cooking was sexy. The naked man in my bed had me forgettin’ about all my worries, for that I wanted to thank him.
Just a simple before bed after sex snack- dates smothered in cashew butter.
Ten of them laid stuffed, like a taco, on a wooden chopping board. His eyes lit up and swooned over the indulgent dessert as I slowly opened the door. We giggled at the happiness we felt from eating something so enjoyable. The roof of our mouths caked with cashew butter as the sugary dates dissolved in between our teeth. The merge of the caramel consistency and creaminess of the nut butter was just right before we curled up and went to bed.
I couldn’t wait until breakfast.
"This is less of a recipe and more of a snack. Cashew butter and ANYTHING is great. Apples, dates, jelly, in granola, and on top of oatmeal. Honestly just wanted to give some nonvegan/vegetarians a few alternatives to chips, ice cream, and/or any not so good grab and go's!'
Mushroom & Spinach Risotto
- 3 tbs of nutritional yeast
- The zest of a whole lemon
- A pinch of lemon juice
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Two handfuls of fresh spinach
- A generous amount of salt and pepper
- 5 cups of veggie broth
- 1 cup of arborio rice
- 1/2 tbs of oil
- 3 cloves garlic- minced
- 1/2 c of oyster mushrooms
- 1 c of baby portobello
- 1/4 c dry white wine
- Start by warming up your veggie broth in a small pot. You don't need it to be boiling. You just want it nice and warm.
- Take your mushrooms and chop them to desired chunks for your risotto. In a large pan, heat up your oil and add your mushrooms.
- After they have begun cooking, add your minced garlic (you don't want it to burn).
- Allow for them to cook down for three to five minutes (you don't want them too soft).
- Add in your white wine to deglaze any bits off of the bottom of the pan and allow for the mushrooms to absorb your wine.
- Once the alcohol has been soaked up, add your rice and allow to toast for about thirty seconds.
- Stir in your lemon zest and your first ladle of veggie broth.
- Constantly stir in your veggie broth about one ladle at a time so the rice thickens and becomes creamy- slowly. This process should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
- So it goes- one ladle broth, stir, stir, stir (smoothly), liquid is absorbed, and repeat.
- Once you are down to your last ladle (you may not need all 5 cups) full, add in your nutritional yeast, salt & pepper, and the thyme leaves off of the five sprigs.
- After your risotto is nice and creamy and delicious, remove from heat, and stir in your spinach leaves.
- Plate & ENJOY