Kale-Basil Pesto Risotto with Summer Squash

This mouth-watering risotto recipe was shared with us by one of our very own members. Shout out to Cris who's happy to share this vegan friendly(!!) and delicious recipe with items from last week's share. Thanks, Cris!

Serves about 4-6 depending on portion size 

Ingredients / Instructions:

1 Cup cooked barley (I used unpearled barley and cooked it in my Instapot) I am sure any barley or other grain will do.

Pesto

1 bunch basil courtesy of Flocktown

2 large kale leaves torn from the stem (also from Flocktown)

1 small fistful of parsley  (Flocktown)

1 lemon juiced

1/4 cup walnuts or Brasil nuts

1-2 garlic cloves depending on your taste

salt

pepper

nutritional yeast optional if you like cheesy pesto or Parmesan if you're not vegan, I used neither

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

place all of the above in a blender or food processor and blend until its the texture you like. (If you're not that into kale or want a light kale taste start with one kale stem or sub arugula)

set aside

Next...

Chop the summer squash, I used 1, and set aside, sauté the following in a sauté pan

1 or 2 chopped spring onions (from the share) 1/4 chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves-chopped

Once the above is sautéed to a light brown add the summer squash and a tablespoon of the pesto, cook until the squash is tender. Add the Barley, 1-2 more tablespoons of pesto and stir to incorporate. Add more pesto to your liking.  add a 1/4-1/2 cup water or veggie broth to loosen the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. done! 

The whole thing start to finish with an assist from the pressure cooker 50 minutes (35 of which are hands off thanks to the pressure cooker).