Sunflower Seed, Cannellini Bean and Kale Rice Style Chickpea Risotto
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 250g chickpea rice (or risotto rice)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbs butter
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 cups kale, stalks removed and roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbs fresh thyme + more to garnish
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon
Preparation
Soak the sunflower seeds in 1 cup boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside
Add the vegetable stock to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Keep it warm over low heat.
Blitz half the sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup stock in a food processor until smooth and creamy
Heat a large heavy based pot over medium heat and add 2 Tbs olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining sunflower seeds and legume rice and stir until well coated and the grains are slightly toasty. Pour in 1 cup of the vegetable broth at a time stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is firm and creamy. Not mushy. You may not use all the broth. Stir in the sunflower seed puree and the nutritional yeast and turn the heat down to low
In the meantime, heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the celery, cannellini beans and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally until the celery has softened. Add the kale and lemon juice and continue to stir until the kale just starts to wilt
Divide the risotto between serving plates. Top with the bean, celery and kale mix, and finish off with grated lemon zest, thyme and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast