Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Olympics, Olympics, Olympics! How fun! I mean who doesn't love lean tan men running around in tiny little speedos. Or beefy hunks of man jumping around in skin tight clothing. Yeah, I don't mind it at all.

Plus, it's quite the motivator to excel in all things physical and nutritional. If someone can be so dedicated to perfecting something like a sport, why can't I be so dedicated to perfecting something like my health.

Risotto takes center stage today. I'll be honest, I sometimes wonder if the result is worth the effort when it comes to risotto. All that stirring can become a little....boring and time consuming. However, this is totally worth the effort.  It is creamy, cheesy and so amazingly tasty.

First, a few tidbits about risotto. There are ways to speed up the process, I've tried them all. In my opinion, it just doesn't come out as starchy and the depth of flavor just doesn't seem there. Most risotto recipes call for arborio rice. There is, of course, a reason. Arborio rice is very high in starch and short grain, giving risotto the best texture and stickiness. On that note, I only really ever have long grain brown rice in my house. Brown rice has the bran and the germ, unlike white rice, making brown rice higher in fiber and most minerals like magnesium. Also, long grain rice has a lower glycemic index. These are reasons enough for me to make my risotto using brown rice. The risotto gods will probably strike me down. Regardless, in my opinion, it's still rather delicious. It just takes even longer to make and doesn't get quite as creamy.

What you'll need: rice, vegetable or chicken broth, onions, garlic, butter, butternut squash, olive oil, salt/pepper, nutmeg, sage and parmesan cheese.

Butternut squash is one of my favorite vegetables. It is exactly what it's called, buttery and nutty. Prepare your butternut squash by peeling it and then dicing into tiny chunks. The smaller the chunks the quicker it will roast. Once diced, drizzle with olive oil and add some salt and pepper.

Roast at 450 degrees for 30-45 mins depending on the size of your dice. After, you get this! I can sit and eat this all by itself like it's candy.

While your squash is roasting, begin preparing the rice. In a saucepan bring broth to a simmer and keep warm. Dice onions and garlic and saute in butter with salt and pepper until onions are soft in a skillet. Then add the rice and saute for 3 mins to bring out the nutty flavor in the rice. Add 1 cup of broth and stir until absorbed. Begin adding broth 1/2 c at a time, stirring after each addition until all liquid is absorbed. Do this until you've finished the broth and/or the rice has became thick and sticky. Add the roasted butternut squash, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add parmesan cheese.

Chop up some lovely fresh sage and add to risotto, saving some for garnish.

In the end you get this creamy, delicious and cheesy dish. Yep, definitely worth the efforts. Enjoy! By the way, 1 cup equals ~500 calories.

• Roasted Butternut Squash
• 8 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 5 c vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 c uncooked rice
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 c grated Parmesan Cheese