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Quick Cook - Risotto and Veggies

Eep, I did not take a picture.  But I promise it was good (I just finished eating it).  Besides, how well can risotto really photograph?  On to the super-quick dinner for 2.

This is not a genius meal idea, but it was fast and tasty and I am full.

I was starving and standing in my pantry thinking about how yummy and filling something like pasta  would be but also about how few veggies there had been in my day.  I always keep a few boxes of preservative free, no msg, yummy flavored risottos and rices in the pantry (I buy most of them at target) and I definitely always keep frozen mixed veggies in the freezer.

So, you will need 1 box of Butternut Squash Risotto and about 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies or veggies of your choice.

Start cooking the risotto according to package directions.  Defrost the frozen mixed veggies (I just run them under hot water then set them aside in a colander to drain).  When there are about 10 minutes left on the risotto (of the 17-20 you started with) stir the veggies in.  This lets them get hot and soak up some of the flavor, as opposed to stirring them in at the end.  Continue to stir occasionally and in the last few minutes stir very frequently.  Remove the whole thing from heat and set aside for a couple minutes so that the sauce can thicken.

Instead of a 310 calorie, 1 cup serving size side dish, you now have a 2 cup serving under 400 calorie dinner.  Yum.  And if you need a protein boost, add some diced chicken while its cooking too.  Even if you prefer to cook from scratch, keeping a few boxes of good preservative free things around can really help out when you are starving or in a rush.

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