Tomato Spinach Risotto

I have no idea how exactly how much sugar my children consumed today, but I know it's a lot. A LOT. Easter ranks right up there with Halloween as a "free day for candy" holiday and both girls took full advantage of it. That means I had to make a REAL dinner because balance.

Both Mila and Alexis will happily eat risotto every day of the week. It can compete with candy when it comes to winning over there hearts, so I shoved some spinach and tomatoes in it so it would have some semblance of nutrition.

It worked.

I guess I can sleep soundly tonight. Mila may have been powered by chocolate all day, but she did eat something worthwhile.

Tomato Spinach Risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup arborio rice
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups baby spinach (you can substitute frozen, but reduce the quantity down to 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Toss the vegetable broth in a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and then saute the onions until clear. Add the rice, stir, and saute for 1-2 minutes. Then add the garlic, oregano, and tomatoes, stirring some more.

3. Once the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated, begin adding the broth about 1/2 cup at a time. Stir constantly and let the liquid evaporate before adding more each time. It will take about 15 minutes to go through it all. The rice should be pretty much al dente at that point, so go ahead and add the spinach and cheese. Stir thoroughly.

3a. I added Morningstar Chik'n Strips because I'm not kidding when I say the girls ate no other real food all day. I cooked them separately and just stirred them in at the last second. You can do the same with regular chicken, but the rice doesn't really need it to be good.

4. All done! I know risotto has a reputation for being a pain, but really it's not. It just requires you to stand there and stir. It's not hard and BONUS! It's a valid excuse for not doing other stuff.