Food, Glorious Food

I'm a big fan of one dish meals...they tend to be easier to make, and I divide the leftovers up into portion sized tupperwares and bring them to work for lunch. Here are a couple of recipes I've tried over the last couple of weeks.

1. Zucchini Risotto. I had never made a risotto before (all the required stirring intimidates me), but I decided to give it a whirl. I used a vegetarian stock and substituted oregano for thyme (because I didn't have any) and margarine for butter (no lactose, thanks). I also added sliced portabellos, which were delicious. Basically, to make a risotto you start by toasting arborio rice in margarine.

Then, slowly add warm broth to the rice, stirring constantly. The rice cooks and the mixture becomes thick and creamy.

Once the rice starts to soften, add in the veggies.

Yum! Really, it's not difficult at all, so I have overcome my fear of risottos. This was also the first time I cooked with sundried tomatoes, and I found them annoying. Did you know that you have to rehydrate them with boiling water before you can use them? I mean, if I wanted something that tasted like a tomato and was mushy like a tomato, I'd prefer to use a regular tomato and save myself the trouble. Also, they are really, really chewy which makes them cumbersome to eat. Sundried tomatoes, it's been fun, but I think we both know that this relationship isn't working.

2. A while back, my old roommate posted a recipe for Artichokes, capers, olives, lemon zest, and Italian tuna on pasta shells. (Wow, that's like the most descriptive title ever. Hey, what do you think is in it? Artichokes, capers, olives, lemon zest, Italian tuna, and pasta shells, perhaps?) It was incredibly easy (like, take a bunch of stuff out of jars and mix), and quite tasty. I also added cherry tomatoes. Here's the finished product: