I love risotto. What’s not to like? Most recipes call for butter, olive oil, lots of cheese, and more butter. But alas, times have changed. Or rather, the amount of fat I can tolerate has changed (thanks to a void where my gallbladder once was).
But did you know that even without butter, oil and cheese risotto is still creamy? It’s a miracle, really.
So now when it’s raining like mad outside and I’m craving something starchy and gooey, I make mushroom risotto (but of course it could be peas or asparagus or a combination of whatever you have available). I “saute” some shiitake mushrooms in a little chicken broth, maybe with a splash of dry vermouth (as Jamie Oliver recommends), then throw in some arborio rice and stir it around. If I’m feeling patient, I have a pot of heated stock ready to ladle in and massage into the rice. But honestly, I usually just throw the stock in and cook as you would normal rice. It still comes out deliciously creamy.

Image by Taking5

These gluten- and dairy-free Vietnamese crepes are chock full of (and wrapped in) veggies. Just to even things out, they’re fried to a crispy, crunchy lace.

Banh Xeo

Makes 8 crepes

• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
• prawns - deveined, peeled, raw
• red leaf lettuce
• fresh mint, thai basil and/or cilantro
• vegetable oil

Whisk together the coconut milk, rice flour, tumeric, water and salt. You want the batter to be thin enough to spread easily in the pan so you can add water if needed. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add some of the prawns and scallions. Cook for just a couple of minuted until the prawns are slightly pink. At this point you can add a little more oil (I said these were gluten-free, not fat-free) and then spoon the batter on top of the prawns and scallions and tilt the pan to coat. Grab a handful of bean sprouts and heap them in the middle of the crepe. Keep cooking until the bottom is brown and crispy, then fold in half and serve. The idea is to tear off a piece of the crepe and wrap it in a lettuce leaf along with the thai basil or whatever greens you have and dip it in the nuoc cham sauce.

Nuoc Cham

• 1 cup fish sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 thai chile, sliced thinly

Heat all the ingredients together in a small pot until the sugar dissolves. Dip in a bit of lettuce and taste. Adjust as desired. Let cool before use. This can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.