Thermos 3-Tier Bento #44

Mango chunks with hemp hearts, butternut squash and kale risotto, and parsley soup (recipe to come soon).

I know none of you suggested butternut squash for my next risotto experiment but then I ended up with all that butternut squash and it was the thing to do, especially since I had some kale in my freezer. This was so good! It was fine the day I made it but the leftovers were epic. I will make this again, without question, although I might not be committed to making risotto the usual, constant-stirring way because I have seen some other recipes, including baked risotto, that seem like less work. So we'll see.

I made parsley soup because I was forcing myself not to waste the half a bunch of fresh and wilting parsley I had in my fridge after making the romesco pasta salad you saw last week. There is only so much garnishing I can do as one person and it had stopped being garnish-quality anyway. What to do with wilting greens? Make soup, of course. But I couldn't find any vegan recipes that seemed remotely filling so I made my own after studying a few omnivore versions. I really liked this! It has a bright green spring-like color, but the ingredients in it are easy to get year-round and it doesn't taste the way you might expect based on how it looks--not light and sweet but sort of deep and earthy. I don't often buy fresh parsley but I might be less hesitant knowing that I have something to do with the leftovers if I do. So! Look for that recipe soon.