Going Green: Asparagus, Edamame & Artichoke Risotto

Since starting a full-time job in November, it's taken me a while to get into a "food routine"--knowing how much produce to buy without going to waste, planning meals ahead for busy nights. While there is still plenty-a-night when the last thing I feel like doing after work is sautéing or chopping, it's safe to say I've got a better handle on time management.

One of my favorite time-savers is making a week's worth of lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Not only does it free up a few minutes each night during the week, but it's always a nice distraction from my dread of work the next morning. Plus, since I have more time on a Sunday afternoon to cook than I would on a weeknight, I can get a little fancy with my creations.

This week's lunch is inspired by the veggie of the moment and one of my personal favorites: asparagus. When cooked properly, asparagus is perfectly tasty sans butter or salt. Obviously just asparagus isn't enough to satisfy my insatiable appetite, so I've incorporated it into a well-rounded risotto dish.

This is only the second time I've ever made risotto--the first was at last year's Christmas. I planned to make butternut squash risotto, but the squash was already spoiled by the time I went to use it. So I was forced to improvise using red wine and a mish-mash of herbs. The finished product was more of a grayish mush than risotto. Needless to say, the "risotto" ended up in the trash along with crazy Aunt Helen's presents (family, you know what I mean).

So I went into today's dish a little nervous that it would wind up like last Christmas' trash, but my nerves were soon calmed by the creamy sound as I stirred the risotto. My one piece of advice with risotto is to add the liquid in small batches very slowly. If you add too much liquid at once, it will just be absorbed before the rice is done cooking--no one likes a crunchy risotto.

In the end, the dish wound up better than I'd hoped, and now I have a delicious, gourmet lunch for the whole week! Now if only I could be as excited about work as I am about tomorrow's lunch...

Green Spring Risotto (recipe inspired by Eating Well magazine)
Serves 4-5, or a week's worth of lunches for one

Ingredients:
1 lb asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup frozen edamame
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
grated Parmesan, for garnish

1. Boil 4 cups water. Add asparagus and cook 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In another saucepan, bring 2 cups water and chicken broth to a simmer.
3. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, cook 4 minutes. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes.
4. Stir in rice, edamame, and salt. Cook 1 minute then 1/2 cup broth mixture. Stir until nearly absorbed. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring in between until liquid has been absorbed. This should take about 20-30 minutes.
5. Lower heat and add asparagus, cream cheese and pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Top with Parmesan and thyme.