homemade risotto

I have anticipated the children putting food into the shopping cart for a while...just didn't know what it would be. Carsten chose some risotto. I thought, "well, it could've been candy or something loaded with msg or corn syrup." I enjoy Lundberg products. We eat their long grain brown rice regularly. Their product, vision, practices are all excellent. So why not try some risotto?

Carl and I enjoyed it very much. But I like to do as much as I can on my own...make sure i feel satisfied about all of the ingredients. So i tried my own version last nite at dinner and this is what I came up with:

zucchini & mushroom cheddar risotto

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 cups water
3/4 cup chicken broth (i bottle my own from chicken i have boiled and store it in an old juice container in the fridge)
1 small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced into small almost grated-like pieces
1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white cheddar cheese
salt
2 tbs herb pesto
2 tbs butter

I used the rice cooker and cooked the rice in the water. Meanwhile, i melted the butter and cooked the onion on low in a large saucepan. Added the rice and chicken broth to the pan. Brought the broth to a broil and then turned down the heat to a simmer. As the broth was nearly all soaked up in the rice, i added the mushrooms, cheese, pesto, and zucchini. It only took a couple minutes to get everything stirred in evenly, the vegetables were lightly cooked, and the broth replaced with a creamy sauce. It was delicious!