Fresh Veggie Risotto

Camp today was brutal! It was 103 degrees and I and 50 kids were in an un-air-conditioned school.  We didn't even try to go outside and we made the best of it.  I have never been so sweaty from simply sitting in a gym in my life.  Then, being the smarty that I am, I went and ran 4 miles (indoors).  I know I'm a little nuts, but working out actually made me feel better.  Plus, I was at my air-conditioned gym.  The gym, even while running, felt like a fridge compared to my crazy hot camp-site.

I got home and was craving something comforting and healthy.  I really wanted a bunch of veggies.  I wanted to make dinner.  My mom wanted to clean out the fridge.  There you have it, the inspiration behind this dish.

I love making risotto since it's so yummy and you can put basically whatever you want into it! This one was light, vegetarian, and had spinach, red pepper, zucchini, and feta.  It was super yummy and the perfect way to use up some fresh veggies.

Fresh Veggie Risotto

Ingredients:
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp light butter
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Heat the vegetable broth over medium-low heat.
2. In a large pot, saute the butter with the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.  Stir in the rice and let cook for another 3 minutes.  Pour in the wine and cook until it is absorbed, about another 5 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir constantly until absorbed.  Keep adding broth and stirring for about 15 minutes.
4.  After 15 minutes, add the red pepper and zucchini, continue to add in broth and stir for 5 minutes.  Then, add the spinach and continue with the broth and stirring for another 5 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Finally, stir in the feta and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy :)

Then, of course, we all needed dessert and so this happened: