- How I Feed My Family Of Omnivores, Vegetarians & Vegans (Part 1)
It’s 2022 and the modern family has changed so much. It’s now commonplace for there to be at least one vegetarian or vegan in a family. There’s a familiar echo that bounces from family to family – one child says “I don’t want to eat animals anymore” which is then, more often than not, followed by a heavy sigh from the parents.
It can be so hard to even contemplate how you could help your child be vegetarian when you live in a household where meat is enjoyed with most, if not all, meals. Luckily, right now there are so many resources to help you figure this out.
https://vegsoc.org The Vegetarian Society have been around for years and highly I recommend a visit to their site. There are also a huge amount of food bloggers, YouTubers and Instagrammers out there that will show you enough food porn to make you drool.
This is how our modern family is made up; my husband is a big meat eater and simply wants meat with every meal. My daughter is vegetarian, but is also a bit fussy with her food. My son is omnivore but will happily chow down on a good tofu curry. I am vegan, but am happy to cook in a way that suits us all.
I’d like to create a series of videos that show how I cook for all of us and keep everyone happy. I have started with Risotto Night. I hope you find this video useful. If you’d like to see more please like and follow me.
If you would like to follow this recipe but have different numbers of veggies, vegans and omnis in your family then see the notes by the ingredient quantities. These show you how much of the additional ingredients to use per person / portion.
Risotto Three Ways (Vegan Vegetable, Vegetarian Vegetable, Chicken & Chorizo & Vegetable)
Equipment
- 1 Large saute pan / sauce pan
- 2 Smaller sauce pans / frying pans
- 1 Cheese grater
Ingredients
For the risotto base
- 2 tbsp Mild olive oil / sunflower oil
- 300 g White onion, chopped
- 300 g Carrots, peeled & grated
- 3 sticks Celery
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced (about 1 ½ tbsp)
- 300 ml Boiling water (optional)
- 360 g Arborio rice (risotto rice)
- 150 ml Dry vermouth You can use dry white wine if you don't have dry vermouth. Dry vermouth is usually more budget friendly.
- 2 each Vegetable stock cubes
- 1.75 litres Boiling water
- 150 g Frozen peas
For the chicken and chorizo risotto
- 100 g Chorizo (skin removed & sliced) Check this is gluten free if you are avoiding gluten. Allow 50g per person.
- 200 g Chicken thighs, diced fairly small Allow 100g per person.
- 70 g Cheddar cheese Allow 35g per person.
For the vegetarian risotto
- 70 g Cheddar cheese Allow 35g per person.
For the vegan risotto
- 60 g Violife Creamy Or any other vegan cream cheese you enjoy. Allow 30g per person.
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes I prefer Engevita. Allow 1 tbsp per person.
Instructions
For the risotto base
- Put a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the oil, onions, carrots and celery and sweat for 10 – 15 minutes, until tender. Don't allow them to colour. The celery tends to be a bit harder so if it is not tender after this time you can add 300ml of boiling water and cook until all of the water is gone. This will ensure you don't have any undercooked pieces at the end.2 tbsp Mild olive oil / sunflower oil, 300 g White onion, chopped, 300 g Carrots, peeled & grated, 3 sticks Celery, 300 ml Boiling water
- Once the vegetables are tender add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.4 cloves Garlic, minced
- Add the Arborio rice and stir. The rice should start to look a little shiny.360 g Arborio rice (risotto rice)
- Add the dry vermouth, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.150 ml Dry vermouth
- Add the vegetable stock cubes, boiling water, salt and pepper and cook according to the instructions on the rice packet (usually around 20 minutes). Stir regularly.2 each Vegetable stock cubes, 1.75 litres Boiling water
- When the rice is almost cooked (give it a taste; it should have a slight bite to it but be mostly softened) add the frozen peas. Stir in and the take of the heat and set to one side.150 g Frozen peas
For the chicken and chorizo risotto
- Fry the chorizo over a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes100 g Chorizo (skin removed & sliced)
- Add the diced chicken thighs and continue to fry for around 5 minutes. The chicken pieces should look as though they are mostly cooked.200 g Chicken thighs, diced fairly small
- Add ⅓ of the risotto base to the pan, stir in and cook for a further 5 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. Check the chicken by cutting into a piece and ensuring there is no raw flesh.
- Stir in the grated cheddar cheese and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.70 g Cheddar cheese
For the vegetarian risotto
- Transfer ⅓ of the risotto base to another pan. Stir in the grated cheddar cheese. Check the seasoning. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.70 g Cheddar cheese
For the vegan risotto
- Stir the Violife Cream Cheese and the Nutritional Yeast Flakes into the remaining ⅓ of the risotto base. Check the seasoning. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.60 g Violife Creamy, 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes