Last night I thought "butternut squash risotto made with brown rice sounds soooo good!" And I was right... but not after much experimenting. I roasted the butternut squash at 400 degrees for about an hour and cooked brown rice according to package directions. I mixed a little almond milk with the butternut squash then mashed it with a potato masher, seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley, and thyme. I mixed in the rice and some walnuts and gave it a taste... bland. Added a couple teaspoons of basil pesto... better. Added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese... oh my goodness give me 4 bowls full right now. Well, I was trying to avoid using the cheese. Didn't work here. I'm trying to find an alternative, maybe nutritional yeast? I haven't been able to find it at Kroger, I may have to venture to Whole Foods. Sounds like a great excuse for a Whole Foods trip to me.
For some more flavor without using cheese, brown some butter and saute the butternut squash in it until the squash is soft. It's a step in the right direction, right? :-) Then all you need is some simple "winter flavor" herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, etc) and maybe a pinch of salt and pepper to make it taste deliciously not bland!
ReplyDelete~Meagan
I have a theory that brown rice sucks the flavor out of everything.
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