I’ve always been afraid of risotto…it just sounds so fancy and intimidating. I had some leftover oven roasted asparagus that I needed to use, so I decided to be be brave and take on the risotto challenge. Guess what? It was surprisingly easy and so tasty! I think this recipe would be perfect if you are trying to cook a romantic dinner for your special someone. Make sure you use high quality, organic ingredients to make this dish healthy (i.e. grassfed butter, organic cheeses and chicken).

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp unsalted grassfed butter, divided
• 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups organic chicken stock OR 4 cups water and 4 tsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon
• 1 bunch asparagus, roasted and chopped into 1 inch pieces (I use this recipe)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces (I use a rotisserie chicken from the store to make things easy)
• 1/2 cup shredded or shaved parmigiano reggiano (I use raw cheese)
• Ground black pepper
• Himalayan pink salt

Simmer broth or water and Better Than Bouillon in a saucepan.

In a separate 4-quart saucepan, heat 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the rice and stir to completely coat, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir slowly, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. When the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup broth to the rice and stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring and adding broth in 1/2 cup increments, allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding more.

Add chicken and asparagus to the rice with the last 1/2 cup of broth. Simmer and stir until liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender but firm to the bite.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese and remaining 1 tbsp of butter. Stir until cheese and butter are melted and well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately and enjoy!

**Note: Brown rice takes much longer to cook, so you can consider an organic white arborio rice if you would like to speed up the cooking process.