Last, but certainly not least, in our Very Tasty Thanksgiving series we have a beautiful dish from Jeanine of Love and Lemons. I absolutely LOVE everything about Jeanine’s site, from the photography and design, to of course, all of the incredible recipes. Jeanine and her husband Jack work together on the site to create some of the most beautiful looking photos and styling you will ever see, always swoon worthy.  Jeanine isn’t exclusively gluten-free or vegan, but many of her recipes naturally are, and she always celebrates what is seasonal and fresh, so it is a great resource no matter what your eating restrictions are.

We know this recipe is coming in just a day before Thanksgiving and many of you have your meals totally planned and shopped for, but not all of you are in America and celebrating Thanksgiving and some of you may also just want a simple, yet still very delicious and seasonal alternative to the turkey and all the sides. Besides being a great possible side at your holiday feast, this risotto would also make the perfect meal for the day after Thanksgiving when you want something beautiful, seasonal and delicious and light. 

I hope everyone enjoyed this series and thank you again for following along and hopefully you got some great inspiration for your own Thanksgiving feasts. Thank you again so much to all of the lovely guest bloggers who joined me, sharing their recipes and tips. Much love to everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you that celebrate. I hope your day is filled with lost of love and of course, super tasty food.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

I’m so happy to participate in Beth’s Very Tasty Thanksgiving! I’m up last, but I’m so excited to make the other recipes that have gone up before mine – they all look so delicious!

Now that it’s the day before Thanksgiving, I’m sure most of you have finished planning and shopping for the big meal. You’ve moved onto either preparing your feast, or are en route to your Thanksgiving destination.

I’m sharing a recipe that I made one Thanksgiving when my husband and I decided to stay home and celebrate, just the two of us. It was one of the nicest, stress-free holidays we’ve ever had. We avoided the grocery store rush by going to Whole Foods that very afternoon (the best time to go, btw, the store is empty). I made this butternut squash risotto with leeks, sage and rosemary… it was the essence of Thanksgiving, without having spent all day cooking. A perfect meal for 2.

[print_this]Butternut Squash Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan
serves 2 with leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

butternut squash:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup butternut squash cubes (about 1 cm)
• salt, pepper
• 1/4 cup veggie broth

risotto:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large leek, sliced (white and light green parts only)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup organic arborio rice
• 3 cups veggie broth
• 1-2 tablespoons earth balance butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sage
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
• a few pinches of red pepper flakes
• salt, pepper

METHOD:

butternut squash:

First, start your butternut squash. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add butternut squash cubes, salt and pepper. Cook until they start to brown, gently flipping, to get color on the other sides… about 5 minutes. Before they start to brown too much, add the veggie broth and stir. Reduce heat to low. Heat until they are tender and cooked through. Approx 20 minutes, depending on the heat of your stove. If the broth cooks down before they are done, add some more (or some water) to keep them from burning to the bottom of the pan.

risotto:
When the squash are at least half done, start your risotto. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and half the leeks, and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent (but not browning), about 8 minutes. Add the rice, mix it together with the onions so the dry rice toasts a little bit. (about 1 minute). Add the wine, scrape up anything that’s sticking to the pan, and let the wine simmer down for another minute.

Add broth 1 ladle at a time, stirring continuously. Each time the liquid cooks down, add another ladle full. Before you add the last ladle of broth, add the butternut squash, the remainder of the leeks, rosemary and sage, a pat of (vegan) butter. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately. Top with pine nuts and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

* alternatively, you can add your butternut squash cubes to your risotto pan right after the onions… as you cook your risotto they will melt apart into the risotto rather than remain cube shaped. Both ways are equally delicious.[/print_this]

 

Jeanine is the creator of Love and Lemons, a food blog that is a collaboration with her husband Jack. After years of running a graphic design business, she has turned her creativity toward her passion for all things food… by cooking, styling, and sharing seasonal (mostly) vegetarian recipes. 

Visit Jeanine’s blog Love and Lemons

You can also follow Jeanine on:

Twitter: @lovelemonsfood
Facebook: facebook.com/lovelemonsfood
Pinterest: @loveandlemons
Instagram: @loveandlemons