September Food Swap

I got stood up in August so there was no food swap post. This month my box came from Rachel Pantos. If you want you can learn more about the swap here http://www.theverdantlife.com/p/vegan-food-swap.html

I got some things this month I haven't seen in the stores here. There were some vegan cookies and I was excited to see one was molasses. There was some granola and something called volcano rice I can't wait to try. All in all a good month.

Fig salad

Yum! All you need is some spring mix, a couple of figs and some balsamic vinegar. I also added some sweet onion, mushrooms and Follow your Heart brand vegan Mozzerella cheese.

Mushroom Risotto over Balsamic Swiss Chard

This recipe is easy and oh so good, and the best part is it can be made in under 30 minutes.

Here is what you need for the risotto.

1 cup arborio rice
2 shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs Earth Balance
2 oz shredded Vegan Mozzarella ( I like Follow Your Heart brand)
4 oz mushrooms, diced

Place half of the Earth Balance and all of the olive oil in a stainless steel pan over medium heat. Once oil is heated add a little sea salt and the shallots and cook 2-3 minutes then add the mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are tender, add the arborio rice and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in enough water to cover the rice and cook uncovered about 17 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Add in the rest of the Earth Balance and the shredded cheese. Stir vigorously to combine and serve over Balsamic Swiss Chard.

Balsamic Swiss Chard

1 bunch of Swiss Chard, washed and cut into thin strips
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil

Place balsamic vinegar and olive oil in the pan, once heated add the garlic and chard. Cook until chard is to you preferred doneness. Serve Rissoto on top of chard. Enjoy!