Risotto Cake with Roasted Vegetables

I know I am posting too many to keep up with, but we had this last night and I had to share. I WISH I had taken a picture, but I thought, I don't know if it will be any good. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I had to cook the risotto a lot longer than it said. I kept testing it and it wasn't soft yet. Then when I tried to make the cakes, they wouldn't really stay together, they just kind of fell apart. So I did my best and then I actually put them all together like a pie on a baking pan. Then I layered all the vegetables on top. Then topped with cheese so it looked like a pizza. And, in fact, that is exactly what I told my son it was. The marinara recipe I used was really good and because all the veggies were so sweet, the honey in it really complimented the dish. However, I'm sure it would be just as good with any sauce you choose. Enjoy! Oh, and I got it from the Canyon Ranch cookbook Nourish. All their recipes are found online here.

Ingredients
Risotto Cake:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup diced yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic cloves
2/3 cup Arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

Roasted Vegetables:
1 medium fresh zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 large Portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 cup peeled and sliced eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1 red bell pepper, cut in half

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix:
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup Marinara Sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add rice to the pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add salt, and begin adding vegetable stock to pan 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is creamy. Allow rice to cool for 15-20 minutes.
2. Preheat griddle or electric skillet to 350°. For each cake, use 1/3 cup of risotto mix, form into a ball, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Spray griddle with canola oil spray, and place risotto cakes on griddle until crisp on each side. Place each cake on a baking sheet after grilling.
3. Combine all ingredients for Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix together.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread vegetables out on a separate baking sheet. Lightly spray with canola oil spray and dust the vegetables evenly with 1 teaspoon Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Peel skin off red pepper and slice into strips.
5. Evenly divide roasted vegetable mix over each of the 4 risotto cakes. Top each cake with 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese. Dust each cake with a pinch of remaining Risotto Cake Seasoning Mix and bake at 350° for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
6. Ladle 1/4 cup of Marinara Sauce on a plate and top with one Risotto Cake with Roasted Vegetables.

Serving Information
Makes 4 servings, each containing approximately:
295 calories
47 gm. carbohydrate
7 gm. fat
18 mg. cholesterol
13 gm. protein
705 mg. sodium
6 gm. fiber

Fresh Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 T EVOO
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1 1/2 t dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 5 lbs tomatoes, chopped (I just used canned whole peeled tomatoes and chopped them myself)
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbs minced fresh basil
• 1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and brown slightly. Add the dried basil, dried oregano, thyme, and pepper and saute briefly.

Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, or until thickened.

Stir in the honey and salt. (If you want a smooth sauce, puree with an immersion blender and strain the mixture through a large-mesh sieve. I just left it chunky.) Add the fresh basil and fresh oregano and simmer for 5 minutes.