food

Serves 4

You will need:

• Pound of sliced mushrooms
• Vegan chicken broth cubes
• 3 stalks celery, chopped fine (save the greens, there's good flavor in them!) (I like a lot of celery, feel free to adjust)
• 2 carrots, rough chopped
• 1-2 yellow onions, finely minced
• 5-6 cloves (36g) garlic, minced (you can use the jarred stuff too!)
• 2 tsp course black pepper
• 2 cups (320g) steel cut oats
• 1.5 liters (~6 cups) water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Automatic or manual pressure cooker (very easy to find at your local thrift store!)

Optional:

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• Substitute 1 cup water for white wine

Put a splash of water and your sliced mushrooms in the bottom of your pressure cooker on/over high heat. The mushrooms will quickly release their water. When the water has boiled away, add olive oil and onions, saute until onions start to go clear. Add garlic, celery, carrots, and black pepper. Saute for two more minutes or so.

Now add your celery greens, water (and wine), salt, broth cubes, oats. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, set timer for/dial in 8 minutes. When 8 minutes are up you can turn off the heat and walk away for 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Nutritional yeast goes in last. Fish out the celery tops before serving.

The texture is remarkably similar to risotto, but some people understandably have difficulty with oats in a savory context. Has more fiber and lower glycemic index (slower carbs) than standard risotto. I consider this my own invention, even though I'm certainly not the first to do it.