I know you’re probably ready for a sweet treat. Not to worry, I’ve got some good ones coming…I promise. 😀

In the meantime, feast your eyes on this creamy side dish.

On to the main dish of this meal. Tilapia.

Logan is the master at tilapia. He uses these spices that we always have stocked in our pantry:

Cooked in a bit of olive oil on medium-high heat, these tilapia filets are a filling and flavorful main dish.

I let the master handle the tilapia while I prepared the risotto.

Most people think that making risotto is hard. It’s gotten a bad rep. And I know that all of you have heard from the chefs of the Food Network, that cooking risotto is not hard. I trust those chefs, and so should you. I decided to give it a try. And it was easy!

And best of all, absolutely delicious.

Ta da! Gourmet meal for 2. 😀

The good thing about this risotto is that you can easily make it vegetarian. Just don’t add the prosciutto!

Creamy Vegetable Risotto

Ingredients

• 3.5 ounces sliced prosciutto, diced (optional for vegetarians)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup risotto
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cups reduced sodium organic vegetable stock
• 5 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 zucchini, julienned
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How-To

1. In a large deep pan (mine is 2 inches deep), on medium-high heat, lightly brown the diced prosciutto. Set aside. [skip this if you’re making it vegetarian]
2. In the same pan, sauté the risotto and onion in the butter for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. In a separate pot, heat the vegetable stock up, just until it starts to simmer. Turn off the heat.
4. Once you’ve sautéed the onions and risotto for a couple of minutes, add in the mushrooms, zucchini and pepper, stirring frequently.
5. Add in the wine.
6. Stir until the wine has been absorbed.
7. Ladle in 1/2 cup of hot vegetable stock at a time, stirring frequently between ladles and making sure that the stock is absorbed before adding another ladle full of stock. Repeat this until you have added all of the stock.
8. Stir in the prosciutto and cheese.
9. Serve immediately.

Servings: about 4