sausage and pepper risotto

This picture isn't the best, but the kids told me I should put the recipe on the blog because they really like it, so I snapped a picture right before we ate. I generally only make recipes that have a picture (yes, I judge recipes by their photos, the same way I judge a book by its cover...), so I couldn't post a recipe without a picture.

Anyway, I ripped this recipe out of Parents Magazine back in September 2002, and it's been one of my family's favorites ever since. I still call this recipe risotto, even though it's not. I actually make it a little bit different than the original recipe because I don't want creamy rice.

Sausage and Pepper Risotto
adapted (a lot) from Parents Magazine recipe

2 cups Rice (I always use brown rice. Sometimes I use {this} rice because I love the added bonus of lentils and flax seed.)
32 oz box of reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (or a good sprinkle of dried onion flakes)
1 small each red and yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced ** (in the photo above, I only had red on hand)
6 oz. precooked sausage (I've used lower sodium Kielbasa, but I just discovered {this} sausage and fell in love. Not a single preservative or chemical in this sausage -- and it tastes good, too!)
1 small zucchini, sliced. optional. (I've never added this because I don't have zucchini on hand)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or a light sprinkle of dried chopped garlic)
1/4 tsp. oregano
grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Throw rice and broth in a rice cooker. Right before the rice is done, heat oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Add sliced sausage and cook a few minutes to brown. Add onion and peppers to pan, and cook 4 minutes, stirring. Add zucchini slices, garlic, and oregano; cook 4 minutes. Add cooked rice to the sausage mixture and gently stir it in to mix flavors. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

** When I'm in need of a super quick dinner, I will forego chopping up the veggies, and just use a package of frozen sliced red and yellow peppers with onions, like {this}.