Lemon Risotto

Rinse and dry the produce. Peel and chop the onion. Dice the yellow squash. In a medium saucepan, combine 5 cups water with the vegetable broth powder and place over high heat. Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Place a large skillet or pot over medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the diced squash to the pan with the onion and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the arborio rice and white lentils and cook, stirring occasionally, until glossy, an additional 2 or 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of your hot vegetable stock. Stir rice, cover, and let the liquid bubble away until it’s almost evaporated, about 1 minute.

Add the hot vegetable stock from the saucepan, ½ cup at a time, and stir the rice after each addition and occasionally throughout the cooking process. Reduce heat to medium-low, the rice should bubble steadily. When the stock has nearly evaporated, add another ½ cup stock, the mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Continue to add stock in this succession until you’ve used it all.

Zest the lemon. Finely chop the mint leaves. In a medium bowl, combine the Kite Hill vegan ricotta cheese, half of the lemon zest, half of the chopped mint, and 2 tsp of the vegan parmesan. Stir minted ricotta to combine.

Add the English peas to to the risotto and stir. Simmer until peas are bright green and just tender, about 1 minute.

After all of the stock has been added, begin tasting the risotto. It will take between 25 to 30 minutes for the risotto to be tender and creamy. Stir in the vegan butter, remaining lemon zest, mint, vegan parmesan, and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Season risotto with salt. Serve lemon risotto in large shallow bowls and top with minted ricotta.