Chickpea and Vegetable Risotto

    Risotto is a class of Italian rice dishes cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. Your broth may be vegetable, meat, or fish based. It's one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It is normally a first course, served on its own before the main course. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine, and onions. This recipe does not use butter or wine. We decided to go with water instead of broth which still gives the risotto a creamy texture.

    Ingredients:

• olive oil - 2 tbsp.
• onions, chopped - 2 medium
• salt to taste
• chili flakes - 1 tsp.
• garlic paste - 1tsp.
• brown rice - 1 cup
• canned chickpeas (or kidney beans) - 1 cup
• bell peppers (we went with green, but you can use any colour), seeded and chopped - 1 large
• green beans, chopped - 1/2 cup 
• mushrooms - 1lb.
• celery, sliced - 2 stalks
• water (or broth) - 3 cups
• cilantro for garnish

    Directions:

1. Heat half of the oil in a pan, on medium heat. When the oil is ready, add the onions and garlic paste. Cook until the onions are translucent (about 3-4 minutes). 
2. Wash the rice and add to the pan. Cook for about a minute, then add salt. Keep stirring occasionally. Add the water (or broth) to the rice. Because of the outer bran coating, brown rice needs to be cooked in more water and for a longer time than white rice. Cover pan with lid and let sit for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.When water starts to boil, lower heat just a notch. 
3. Once the rice is done, remove pan from the heat and set aside.  In another pan, heat the rest of the oil on medium-high heat. Add the peppers and beans. Cook for a minute. 
4. Turn heat to high and add mushrooms. Mushrooms let out a lot of water, so you need to cook them on high heat. Keep stirring the vegetables for 3 minutes. 
5. Add the chickpeas (or kidney beans), salt and chili flakes. Cook for a minute then turn off the stove.
6. Move the vegetables into the pan with rice. Mix well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.