Vegetable Paella

Paella is a Valencian rice dish generally made with vegetables, meat and sea food. I never thought that it will be equally enjoyable with only vegetables (minus meat). Vegetable Paella is so full of flavors that you will simply forget the absence of meat and enjoy it equally. It is quite a simple dish to prepare and for a hardcore vegetarian like me- it's divine. This dish is a must try if you have only eaten meat based paella- Plus, it's a one pot meal and can be prepared in short notice without much fuss-

Ingredients-

1 large onion chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups rice (paella/risotto rice)

4 medium tomatoes chopped

1 red bell pepper (cut in thin strips)

1 green bell pepper (cut in thin strips)

1 yellow bell pepper (cut in thin strips)

1 cup green peas

1 cup artichoke hearts (quartered)

1 lemon

How did I make it?

Heat olive oil and saute onion with garlic till the onions start changing color. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the paella/risotto rice and saute for about 5 minutes. In a separate pan, heat the broth till it starts to simmer. Add the simmering vegetable broth to the paella mixture and cook over medium flame for 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and artichokes before the liquid gets completely absorbed by the rice. Add some lemon juice. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes till the water is completely absorbed and the rice is cooked and tender. Serve hot!