Paleo and Vegan Wild Mushroom Risotto

If you're a long-time reader you'll know that risotto has always been one of my favorite dishes and the first risotto dish I mastered was of the wild mushroom variety. I know a lot of people shy away from this dish because it is often referred to a very time consuming and warns that you'll need to stir constantly.

I've never had this be the case. Yes, you do need to remain in the kitchen and keep your eye on the risotto, but not once in the probably 100 times or so where I've made it, have I ever needed to stand directly in front of the saucepan stirring constantly while crossing my fingers that the rice wasn't going to stick. And this is coming from the person who has a stove that only boils things not simmers them. It's all about the timing and knowing when the rice needs more liquid. And confidence. Believe in yourself that you can make risotto and you will! (Okay, random pep talk over.)

Risotto, in it's original form isn't exactly healthy. The recipe usually calls for a decent amount of butter, followed by topping off the dish with cream and then cheese to really pull together the rice dish. Since trying to follow a more Paleo lifestyle, it's definitely one of the dishes I miss the most.

As anyone living a Paleo, Whole 30, vegetarian or vegan lifestyle knows, finding foods to eat in restaurants is not always an easy task, so when I heard that Chef Tal Ronnen had created a vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu for restaurants at the Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, I had to check it out and see what he did.

Unfortunately, this is did not come with a trip to Vegas to actually try the food, but my fingers are crossed I can do that sometime in the near future.

Paleo and Vegan Wild Mushroom Risotto
Inspired by: SW Steak House at the Wynn
Servings: 2
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Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 oz. wild mushroom mix
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¾ cup vegetable or mushroom broth, warmed
• 2 tbsp. coconut milk
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Wash cauliflower and remove the outer leaves. Cut into medium sized florets.
2. Place the cauliflower in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is the size of rice.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes or until both are softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the cauliflower to the skillet along with the warmed broth. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently until the cauliflower has reached your desired texture. (I prefer to keep mine with a little bit of a bite to it since its naturally softer than rice.)
5. Reduce the heat to low and return the mushrooms and onion to the skillet. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the coconut milk until melted/warmed through.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with the freshly chopped parsley.

To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect with this but I really enjoyed the dish. It's quite similar to a traditional risotto and actually, the best thing about it is that you can reheat the leftovers and its still just as good!