Hearts of Palm Risotto

My husband & I were on our honeymoon on Palm Sunday. It was a beautiful day and there were palm fronds everywhere. We went to a cathedral in Puerto Rico and someone passed us a folded palm cross which the bishop blessed for us while we were there. It was so cool and is a great memory of ours! So, I wanted to serve something with palm in it for Easter this year.
This recipe tastes so good!

Ingredients:
1 Tbs + 1 Tbs Earth Balance
1 Tbs olive oil
1/3 c finely chopped white onion
1 Tbs chopped garlic
3/5 c Arborio rice
1/4 c dry white wine
3 c hot water
1 veggie bouillon
1 can drained palm hearts (you may want to give these a rough chop)
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tbs Almond milk (original, unsweetened)
s & p to taste
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley & more for garnish

Directions:
– heat the 3 cups water and veggie bouillon until almost boiling and the bouillon dissolves (I used the microwave)- set aside but be sure it’s still hot when you’re ready to use it.)
-heat the oil and 1 Tbs earth balance in a large skillet/frying pan.
-add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent.
-add the rice and sauté, stirring frequently, until the rice is covered in oil and toasted a bit.
– pour in the wine and stir until it is evaporated.
– add the veggie broth slowly, about 1/4 of it at a time, stirring until all the stock is evaporated and absorbed. The whole process will take around 20 mins.
-add the milk and 2nd Tbs if earth balance and stir.
– sample the rice to be sure it is tender and chewy.
– stir in the palm hearts, nutritional yeast, s & p, and parsley.
– transfer to a serving dish and garnish with parsley.
– serve right away.

– this recipe serves 4-5 people as a side dish.

* this would taste WONDERFUL with mushrooms, nuts, artichokes, asparagus, or shredded carrots in place of the palm hearts!