I can’t say it any plainer, this dish is lush! The risotto is baked in the oven and it’s bursting with earthy delicious flavours that will send you back for seconds and thirds! I was going to do the dish with grilled asparagus, but the fruit market was out, so made a last minute change to okra (which I think are called Lady’s finger in the US), so glad I did, okra takes on flavours really well and is so easy to cook.

I’m already thinking ahead to tomorrow as I fancy having a go at a Bhindi Bhaji, it’s one of my favourite Indian dishes, so it’ll be a nice test to see if can make a tasty version.

I have (I think) mastered the Crow pose in yoga, I can now keep my feet up for as long as I want, I just needed the confidence to get my body into the right position, now I just need to work on the Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana), I’m no where near just now but it’s something to work towards. I’ve also been adding in a cheeky little kettle-bell workout after my gym classes, really want to work on strengthening my arms, that would help me quite a bit with some of the yoga moves and maybe get me better form for my push ups and plank.

Lemon Herbed Risotto with French Beans, Red Kidney Beans topped with Grilled Okra and Garlic Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms (vegan & gluten free)

MyInspiration Feel The Difference Range

Serves 2 – ready in 45 minutes

For the risotto

1 onion finely sliced

2 portobello mushrooms de-stemmed, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp dried rosemary

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

10 french beans, topped and tailed and cut in half

Black pepper to season

1 cup Arborio

2.5 cups vegan stock

For the Grilled Okra

10 Okra (Lady’s Fingers) chop the stems off

juice of 1 lemon

Black pepper to season

For the Sauteed Mushrooms

2 Portobello mushrooms, destemmed and sliced

1 clove garlic finely sliced

1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Black pepper to season

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

2. Prepare the risotto – add 2 tbsp water to a deep saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, rosemary and mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes to soften, then add in the rice and the kidney beans and stir this altogether to coat the rice before adding in the lemon zest, french beans, balsamic vinegar and stock and give it a good stir to combine. Pop a lid on the pot and place in the oven for 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes until it’s ready.

3. Prepare the Okra – just add the okra to a roasting pan, squeeze over the fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with black pepper and pop in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.

4. Lastly, the mushrooms – Heat 1 tbsp of water in a saute pan, add the garlic and let this cook for 1 minute before adding the balsamic vinegar and the mushrooms, turn the heat to low and just let this mixture cook for 10 minutes, the mushrooms will soak up all the lovely liquid and taste beautiful, sprinkle over the black pepper just to season.

5. To serve, plate up the risotto, add the mushrooms on top and then top that with a few okra, dust with black pepper, add a cheeky swirl of balsamic around the edge for decoration (optional) and you’re done!