added this 17 years ago
Baked Spinach Risotto
What you need:
2 cups cooked rice
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed, save 2 tablespoons liquid
1/2 pound tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for saute
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
pepper (1/4 teaspoon black or pinch cayenne)
seasonings of your choice
What you do:
Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a blender, blend tofu, olive oil, and spinach liquid until creamy.
Heat some more olive oil in a large skillet or wok and saute onion and garlic.
Stir in the rice, pepper, and spices (I use basil and a tiny pinch of thyme), spinach, and the creamed tofu.
Spray a 1 1/2 quart dish with cooking spray and transfer rice into dish.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
Servings:
4-6
Recipe Category:
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I made this the other night. my boyfriend thought it was too bland, but I though it was just fine with some lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. (for quick and easy additives.) I don't really recommend it alone, maybe as a side dish, though.
what kind of rice do you use? Ariborio (sp) or just regular white/brown rice?
3 out of 4 people (including me) thought this was disgusting and inedible, but one thinks it is okay with some salt. it's basically green tofu mush with bits of rice in there. I just can't stand the texture of creamed tofu - this was my first time trying it. I used soft tofu (not silken) because nobody specifies what kind: perhaps this is where I went wrong. maybe it could be better if you double the rice. it is definitely not creamy like a risotto - it is a rice casserole.
I added artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts. I thought these would make it delicious, but they didn't. what a shame. I was trying to think of how to save it and I could layer it with lasagna noodles or use as a calzone filling, adding tomato sauce, but the rice seems weird in those dishes and I was so disappointed that I don't want to make the effort to save it and waste more ingredients.
A few things you should know before making this:
1)It is not really a 'risotto', more a rice casserole
2)Add lots of nutritional yeast, and possibly more liquid. Mine was pretty dry (I used brown basmati rice, maybe something shorter grained would be better).
3)It tastes much much MUCH better the next day! The tofu really soaks up all the flavours.
All in all, this was good in that it was cheap and healthy and it's made with things I always have in the house, even when I'm out of everything else, like now. But - I suspect there are much better vegan risottos out there.
I just made this with some addtions, I used a whole head of garlic and sauted everything in red wine, also I added a con of chickpeas and a lot of nutritional yeast. For spices, I used rosemary, basil, oregano, cayene and black pepper. This is a great recipe to play with. I would definitely say that nutritional yeast is a must and I have made this before with artichoke which was tasty as well.
i'm interested in hearing what seasonings people use in this. i made this last night and it turned out bland. i used the recommended basil and thyme combination but had no idea what proportions so it ended up tasting just blah and unmemorable (but it looked beautiful!) any suggestions on possible additions??
Sorry, I didn't make any specific measurements. The recipe is pretty much a building block; you can add several different spices and veggies . Try these combos:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon basil
pinch of thyme
1/4 teaspoon parsley
pepper to taste ( i would use black pepper if you don't want it too spicy, otherwise use cayenne)
Add some sauted mushrooms or chopped celery
You could also squeeze some fresh lemon juice in. Or sprinkle some chives on the top
Hope this helps!
i'm interested in hearing what seasonings people use in this. i made this last night and it turned out bland. i used the recommended basil and thyme combination but had no idea what proportions so it ended up tasting just blah and unmemorable (but it looked beautiful!) any suggestions on possible additions??
OK-I have not tried this yet...but it looks fabulous! I know what I am having for dinner tonight! :-)