Mushroom and Pressed Apple Quinoa Risotto

A couple of things before we get to risotto…but we’ll get there, I promise.

1.) This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to volunteer with a program called Young Chefs at Young School. Every couple of Saturdays, an elementary school in one of the less-affluent neighborhoods near mine holds sports, science, reading and (of course) cooking programs for their students to attend. Several other volunteers and I spent the morning working with about twelve 4th and 5th grade students, teaching them about healthy eating habits (this past week’s topic was snacks) and basic cooking skills (we made a couple of healthier dips for veggies, and the kids got to take home what was left over to their families).

Now, I’m not choosing to tell you about this experience so that everyone will see that I got my good-deed card stamped this week. Instead, I’m telling you about this because I absolutely loved it. Not only did I get to work with a group of awesome kids who really seemed to learn a lot (they started out the morning saying how they only liked ice cream; by the time we left I asked them what they had learned and their collective response was, “Vegetables can be awesome!”), but I got to teach them something about which I am passionate. Volunteering doesn’t have to be a drain on your time and energy; there are numerous ways in which you can give your time doing something that you love!

If you are in the Chicago area, I encourage you to check out Chicago Cares. It’s a great site that allows you to browse volunteer opportunities by a number of filters and choose just the right one for you. You even register online, so all you have to do is show up on the date of your project! Getting plugged in to your community has never been easier.

2.) I have mentioned before that I work at a university. Well, for the next five days the school is being inhabited by Tibetan monks. Yep, you read that right. Tibetan monks.

Probably seems totally random, and it did to me, too, at first. But, as it turns out, they are here as part of an interfaith exchange (it is a Catholic university) and will be constructing a sand mandala during their time here. Sand mandalas are intricate pieces of art created out of colored sand. The construction of a sand mandala takes days and is ritualistically destroyed during a ceremony at the end of that time. The destruction symbolizes the temporary nature of life on earth, and the materials used in the mandala are ceremonially returned to nature so that they are never used twice.

I promise I had a reason for sharing this, too, other than the fact that I think it is super cool. Getting the chance to encounter other cultures – whether it be through chance, such as this encounter, or through travel – always causes me to stop and think about what we, as an American culture, consider to be important and, in fact, beautiful. According to our culture, which values speed, efficiency and permanence, taking days to create a piece of art that will simply be destroyed immediately probably seems like an enormous waste of time. But to these Tibetan Buddhists, the art symbolizes something much bigger, something that is intricately tied to their worldview. Our life on earth is indeed temporal and fleeting and, like the sand used in the mandalas, can be brushed away with the blink of an eye. But that does not mean that its creation is any less beautiful, that the work it takes for us to become the people we end up as is a waste of time. Rather, life’s ephemerality makes it that much more important for us to recognize its beauty while it is here, and to remember not to take anything beautiful for granted.

Whoa.

Things just got a little deep there, didn’t they?

I hope that got you to think a little bit, but if you need a bit of a brain break, I think I have just the thing for you: quinoa risotto.

Again, you read that right. Quinoa risotto.

I know, I know, how is it possible? Isn’t risotto made from arborio rice? Well, yes, traditionally it is. But, as it turns out, you can also make it – through essentially the same process – out of quinoa. The result is a little nuttier, and full of more essential nutrients than you would get out of a traditional risotto. Not that I have anything against traditional risotto – we are totally best friends – but if you are looking for a healthier twist, this might just be it.

In this version, I also changed things up a little by cooking the risotto with half stock and half pressed apple juice. Now, I’m going to get a little naggy here and insist that you pony up and by the pressed stuff for this. You can find it in the refrigerated section with the orange juice. I promise I wouldn’t insist on this if I didn’t feel it makes a difference, but the flavor of the pressed apple juice is akin to that of apple cider (which would be more than acceptable here, as well) and will really round out the flavor of the quinoa. It gives you a hint of fruity sweetness that makes your taste buds sit up and take notice.

And we all want our taste buds to sit up and take notice. Obviously.