Every week we receive a WeightWatchers Weekly booklet at weigh-in. Its funny, but I read them practically from cover to cover, but I don't always try the recipes. Laura, our leader, mentioned a booklet we received a couple of weeks ago that featured a recipe which paired arugula and fruit in a salad and said she usually cringes at the thought of combining fruit and vegetables - but she went on to rave about that recipe! I still have to try that one, but her comments made me take a closer look at the recipes we are given. This past week, the feature recipe was for an asparagus risotto. This one I DID try - and it was a hit with my family. Every last morsel was cleaned from the serving bowl. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to do so. It has a creamy, fresh taste and would be a great side to something fresh off the grill.
Serves 6
5pp per serving
1/2 tsp salt, for cooking water
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size peices
2 sprays cooking spray
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 small shallots, minced
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cups canned chicken broth
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Bring a large pot of sated water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add asparagus to pot; blanch for 2 minutes. Immediately remove asparagus from pot and place them into ice water (to stop them from cooking and help retain their bright green color); set aside.
Coat a meduim pot with cooking spray and set over medium heat; melt butter. Add shallots; cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 to7 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat; cook for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice; cook, until all lemon juice has been absorbed, stirring continuously so rice does not stick to sides of pot, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer; keep warm.
Add 1/2 cup of hot broth to pot at a time; stir until absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, making sure each addition of broth is absorbed before adding more. This process takes about 20 minutes.
When rice turns creamy and just done (should be slightly chewy and not mushy), remove pot from heat; add cheese and stir well. Stir in asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Yields 1 scant cup per serving.
Note: If you like, use white wine instead of lemon juice and swap spinach for the asparagus. Could affect PointsPlus value.
I fully expect to be reviewing some of the older booklets for recipes I failed to try - so keep an eye out for them in up-coming posts!
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