Makeover your day with this rich, yet vegan and dairy-free Coconut Maple Chai Breakfast Risotto recipe.
Jump to RecipeThis Coconut Maple Chai Breakfast Risotto is for those days where you wish your day was already over by 9 AM. The kind of day that your dog has ransacked your garbage, almost ran through your sliding glass door 3 times and relieved herself inside TWICE. Oh, and did I mention that this was while you were dropping off your car first thing in the morning for that loud mystery tapping sound that suddenly started coming from your wheel well the other day?
This is the kind of cooking therapy and flavor that will make you consider something much more positive and productive than crawling back into your bed in surrender to the rest of the day.
The flavors
Vanilla, maple, coconut, and chai mingle together for a luscious and rich risotto that works some magic alchemy from the inside-out. Using coconut oil and almond and coconut milk in place of the traditional olive oil and broth keeps this recipe paleo, dairy free, and gluten-free. Maple syrup in place of the parmesan cheese makes the recipe vegan.
The Health Benefits:
The coconut delivers an abundance of long-chain fatty acids which have growing evidence of helping to boost energy and metabolism, bolster good (HDL) cholesterol, balance out blood sugar, and more (read more here). Top your bowl with some nutty hemp seeds and not only finish off the flavors but work in some of your essential fatty acids.
How to make Coconut Maple Chai Breakfast Risotto:
- Get your milk and vanilla simmering, chai tea brewed, almonds roasted (if they aren’t already pre-roasted) and spices measured out first. Once you get cooking it will be off to the races (when you’ve had a morning like I have, though, who doesn’t want to hurry up and bring in a new day?).
- Saute the rice in the coconut oil in a large skillet or dutch oven until the rice gets nice and coconut-y (yes, I'm making that word up), stirring continually.
- Add in the brewed tea and continue stirring the rice as it cooks, until almost all the tea has evaporated. Add in the spices and stir until distributed.
- Add in the simmering milk to the rice, one ladle at a time and cooking the rice until almost all the liquids have evaporated before adding the next ladle of milk. Make sure to stir constantly during this process and keep an eye on the liquid levels. It will take around 30 minutes, but this step is where risotto gets meditative and relaxing for me. There's something that's so grounding and nourishing about watching and smelling the rice cook up right before me.
- After adding the last ladle of milk, keep a close eye on the moisture levels as you stir and cook and add the salt and maple syrup just as the rice is getting thick from the last liquid evaporating. Turn the heat to low and mix in the syrup as it cooks and absorbs into the rice, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and serve with extra maple syrup, roasted almonds, berries, and hemp seeds (if you wish).
Other delicious and healthy breakfast and brunch recipes you might enjoy:
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Belgian Waffles
- Mountain Breakfast Skillet
- Black Bean Breakfast Enchiladas
- Diced Hash Browns
- Classic Healthier French Toast
- Crunchy Turmeric Granola
- Blender Oatmeal Pancakes with No Flour or Banana
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