Paella is one of those meals where your heart kind stops beating when you see a huge plate of it arriving to your table. With massive amounts of flavor and mouth-watering ingredients, we can hardly wait to grab a fork and dig in!

Some paellas can be quite heavy, so when we heard that Azu Restaurant and Bar features an organic, vegan, and gluten free version on their menu, we had to get the scoop! What we especially love about their recipe, is that it’s very versatile. The restaurant changes the vegetables used depending on what is in season to ensure the highest quality produce. (We encourage you to do the same with your homemade version.)

Paella parties are always a good idea. Whip up a big pitcher of sangria, invite your friends, and indulge in a guilt-free food that’s packed with goodness. Salute!

Vegan Paella

Ingredients
1/2 cup Arborio rice (any medium grain rice will substitute)
2 cup vegetable stock (home-made or store bought)
1 generous pinch of Saffron
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 yellow onion diced
1/3 cup crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1/8 cup fresh green peas
1/3 cup broccoli cut into small florets
1/3 cup cauliflower cut into small florets
1/3 cup chopped zucchini
1/3 cup chopped yellow squash
1 tablesppon extra virgin olive oil,
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Lemon wedges

Directions
1. In a small pot heat the vegetable stock to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and add saffron, allowing saffron to steep at least five minutes.
2. In a separate pan, over medium/high heat, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions, stirring until translucent.
3.To this, add the Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash salt and pepper, and cook 2 minutes until vegetables have slightly lost their rigidity.
4. Add the Arborio rice, and stir until coated in oil, continuing to stir until slightly toasted.
5. Add the white wine. If the wine flames, turn down the heat until the alcohol has burned off, then resume.
6. When the wine has reduced by 3/4 volume, add the peas, crushed tomatoes, and half of the stock, ladling slowly, and stirring pan to keep ingredients even. Cook until liquid is absorbed.
7. Add remaining stock, artichoke hearts, half of the the cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is slightly crispy at edges.
8. Garnish with remaining cilantro, and a couple of lemon.

xx, The FabFitFun Team