Pine Nut, Spinach, and Herb Risotto

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This is my comfort food. Savory, salty, and full of spinach and pine nuts, which give the recipe a bit of extra crunch!

I generally try to eat pretty light. That means a lot of salads, fruits, quinoa, etc. Veggies galore.

But honestly, sometimes a girl just needs a little more. And that, my friends, is when I turn to risotto.

Four score and seven years ago - or maybe like two - I used to frequent a Memphis restaurant for their wonderful risotto. It was to die for. And just the right portion size to let me finish the plate without feeling like a naughty girl.

For this recipe, I used Trader Joe's Mushroom & Herb Risotto as a base. You don't have to! This will work just as well with regular risotto and a combination of spices (salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, parsley). But, if you do have a Trader Joe's nearby, here's a wonderful way to spice up their risotto. And no, it doesn't taste a thing like mushrooms (bf hates mushrooms and didn't notice - victory for me!).

Pine Nut, Spinach, and Herb Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 package Trader Joe's Mushroom 7 Herb Risotto (or 1 cup Risotto)
• 1 cup Spinach
• 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
• Sea Salt (We used Pink Himalayan Sea Salt)
• 1/4 cup Feta Cheese

Directions:

1. Cook Risotto per box instructions.
2. With 5 minutes left in cooking, add Spinach and Pine nuts and cover, stirring occasionally to ensure that the spinach gets heated and the nuts are well mixed.
3. When you remove risotto from heat, add and stir in feta cheese.
4. Sprinkle sea salt on top of risotto after serving on plates.
5. Serve in Pitas if you're feeling fancy (and hungry!).

Basil Brie Mushrooms

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Delicious mushrooms with spicy basil and a layer of creamy, melted brie cheese. Easy. Small. Delicious. And (probably) the perfect cure for even the meanest hangover.

I gotta be a little honest here, folks. I was hungover on my birthday. That's how I discovered these.

You see, I'm typically a salad girl. Salads = produce trail mix. Delicious. I eat a salad for lunch almost every single day.

But on this day... the day after my self-guided gangster tour of Chicago... I wasn't feeling a salad at all. The thought of acidic and leafy foods entering my mouth was mental torture. All I wanted was some V8 (hangover cure number one) and some brie cheese (hangover cure number two).

And then, in the early afternoon, I emerged from my room cave actually wanting to bake something. And that, my friends, is how these delicious Basil Brie Mushrooms were born. Because I had all three ingredients in my fridge. And because sometimes, a girl just needs to smother everything in basil and brie cheese.

Basil Brie Mushrooms

Calories: 30

Servings: 3-5
Serving Size: 2-3 mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 10 Small Mushrooms
• Brie Cheese (to taste, but you likely only need about 1/8 of a regular President's wheel)
• 5 leaves Basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cut Mushrooms. Cut from bottom to top, ending up with about 2-4 thin slices per mushroom.
3. Rip Basil leaves and place on each mushroom.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown.
5. Cut thin slices of Brie and place on