Kelsey's Best Risotto: Marinara with Breaded Baby Zucchini

2-3 T olive oil
small yellow onion, small dice
small red onion, small dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
dry Italian herb blend
red pepper flakes, to taste
bay leaf
roasted red bell pepper, skinned, seeded & diced
pint mushrooms, diced
sun dried tomatoes, handful, diced
large can San Marzano Tomatoes
1/2 small can tomato paste
1 c water
1 c arborio rice
1 c red wine
fresh basil, chiffonade
fresh parsley, minced
salt, to taste

the Sauce
Dice the onions, combine the red with yellow, and set aside in a pile.
In a medium sized pot heat 1-2 T olive oil and add half the onions. Saute for several minutes then add the garlic, italian herbs, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and mushrooms. Cook for 2minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the red bell pepper and sun dried tomatoes. Cook for an additional minute, stirring, then add the can of tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Simmer for 20minutes. 

the Risotto
Once the sauce is cooked, in a separate large wide pan, heat 2-3 T olive oil, then add the rest of the onion. Saute until translucent, then add the garlic and the arborio rice. Cook for another 2 minutes. Then turn up the heat and add the wine. Once all of the wine has cooked down.. turn the heat to med-low and add 1/3 of the tomato sauce.. Stir frequently. Once the rice starts to soak up the sauce, and you can drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan without seeing any liquid.. add another 1/3 of the sauce to the rice. Keep stirring. If you want to walk away, put a lid on it. Once the rice soaks up most of the liquid, add the rest of the sauce and let it cook with a lid on, stirring frequently. Taste it.. see how "done" the rice is. If the sauce is super thick and the rice isn't cooked thoroughly yet, add a little more water.. add 1/2 c at a time until your rice is cooked and your have a creamy thick marinara sauce. Yum. Stir in the parsley and basil at the end, then serve. Enjoy this meal with a fruity red wine and a good friend :D

the Zucchini
6 small baby zucchini
1 1/2 c seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 T ground flax seed
1/2 c water
1/2 c flour
balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Mix the ground flax seed and water. let sit for a few minutes. This can be used as a replacement for egg in any batter.
Set up a "dredging station" with 1 plate of flour, 1 large bowl of flax/water mixture, and 1 plate of breadcrumb. Rinse the squash, then dredge in flour, then flax, then breadcrumb. Set on a foil lined, sprayed/rubbed with oil baking sheet and bake at 380 for 25minutes. Flip halfway through. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper before serving.