Risotto with a side of healing!

So for starters, I have come to the conclusion that I love cooking and absolutely suck at blogging! Soooo... I will do the best I can, but I am thinking this will be an "in-between semesters" thing... I am definately passionate about this lifestyle, and am still cooking just as often, but I don't have a lot of extra time to share! Anyways... why a side of healing? Well after making this meal I learned that mushrooms naturally help boost the immune system! And what better time to do that than now as we are heading into colder seasons?! Okay.. recipe...:

• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried shittake mushrooms
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped shallots
• 3 cups thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• a few dashes of pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups arborio rice (risotto)

** Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium-size saucepan. Add the dried shittake mushrooms and simmer for about 2 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a plate. When cool enough, coarsely chop them. Cover the broth and keep warm over very very low heat.

In a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat, saute the shallots for about 5 minutes. Add the baby bellas and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook until mushrooms are tender.... about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, shiitakes, herbs, spices and salt:  saute another 3 minutes.

Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. Add a little of the broth at a time, allowing it to soak up as you stir it into the mixture. Keep doing this until the rice is cooked and the broth is fully absorbed.. it will take about 20 minutes.. serve it up!!!

I also discovered that you can freeze this for a while! So, half of my servings are sitting in the freezer for a lazy day~ Peace & Love