Date Night Pumpkin Risotto (with lots of Parmesan!)

Ingredients

• ¾ dl brown rice
• 1 dl almond milk
• 2 dl water
• ½ x vegetable bouillon
• ¾ dl pumpkin puree
• ¼ tsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp butter
• 1 tbsp vegan cream
• ½ handful parmesan
• 2 handful kale
• 1 handful toasted pine nuts

Method

1. To a medium size saucepan, add rice, milk and about 4 dL water with a little buillion powder (don’t go crazy on the buillon as it is quite salty – you can rather add more towards the end if needed). Over medium heat, bring the rice to a boil while stirring occasionally.
2. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue stirring to prevent burning. As the rice cooks – and this will take some time, add some more water with buillon every time the mixture starts getting thick.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and cook for another 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add thyme and continue cooking. Remember to sample the rice every now and then to see if it’s nearing the right consistency. It should not be crunchy or grainy at all – soft, gooey and perhaps a little chewy is what we’re going for.
4. Once the right consistency is reached and the rice is properly cooked, turn off the heat without moving the saucepan. Add nutritional yeast, butter and pepper and stir until dissolved. Add Parmesan, a splash of cream and mix.
5. Now, sample the risotto before adding the greens: would it do with a little more of either Parm, pepper, nooch (nutritional yeast) or cream? If so, adjust accordingly. Then, stir in the greens and let them shrink a little. Next, just for a moment, just smell the air in your kitchen. Isn’t the smell of this risotto simply divine?
6. Serve while warm and gooey and top with toasted pine nuts.