Vegan Tomato and Basil Risotto Recipe

I'm not sure if it's just because it's summer, or because I've had a lot of spare time on my hands recently, but I've really fallen back in love with cooking and experimenting with my own recipes again. You guys seemed to love last week's vegan pear and raspberry oatmeal recipe so I thought I'd share another recipe with you. This one makes for a super tasty dinner, plus you don't exactly have to be a whizz in the kitchen to make it! After 5 minutes or so of prep all you need to do is pop all of the ingredients in, give this a quick stir every so often and then you'll be good to go. Plus, risotto has a reputation of being a tricky dish to make, so if you're having guests over, or your mum's come to visit, you can pretend like you've got this whole adulthood thing down to a 'T' by dishing this up.
I was a bit worried about this one - I've never made a risotto before, but as I've made a few paellas I have some kind of understanding of what a risotto vaguely should look like. If you've made paella before, then the main difference between the two is that risotto is a lot creamier. Traditional risotto recipes generally contain double cream, so this vegan version is a fair bit healthier and lower in calories. I'm a big fan of spices, so if this recipe seems a little too much for you, then just take out the turmeric and paella. It won't be as tasty in my opinion, but it'll have practically no heat. The coconut milk mostly balances it out anyway, but that's just a tip if you're worried about over-spicing the dish.
I made this in my *slightly* oversized wok (thank God for the wonders of IKEA), but a large saucepan would do the job if you wanted. A frying pan could also work, but if, like me, you're a bit of a klutz, then it might be best to avoid so that your cooker doesn't end up smothered in various ingredients! This recipe makes three servings, so I made it for me and my housemates, but you can freeze the spare servings if you just want to make it for yourself!
Ingredients:
220g arborio (paella) rice  400ml vegetable stock 4 salad tomatoes 1/2 Spanish onion 2 garlic cloves 50ml coconut milk 1 teaspoon dried parsley 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon turmeric Sea salt Ground black pepper 8 basil leaves Coconut oil / extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Dice the onion and tomatoes.
- Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan. Add the onion and crushed garlic. Cook for 3/4 minutes, or until soft.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 3/4 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the rice and stir for two minutes. 
- Add the stock and stir in. Add the turmeric, parsley and paprika. 
- Leave to simmer until all the rice is soft and chewy. If needs be, add more boiling water to the mixture so that it doesn't burn.
- Add the coconut milk, stir in and cook for another two minutes.
- Serve and top with the chopped basil.

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