Faux Risotto

I love risotto, but it's not the most diet friendly dish out there.

I have been experimenting, and this is delicious!!!  It's not as loose as risotto, but it's pretty darn delicious!  The veggies are interchangeable, I tend to use whatever is in the house, but the version below is my favorite so far!  Even my hubby liked it, but he wouldn't eat the veggies, so I might make him a batch with broccoli.

The recipe below makes one very large serving.  If you are going to serve it with a salad or a soup, it could be 2 smaller servings as well.  The entire recipe has a Points+ value of about 7 depending on how much broth you use.

I served this as a side with tilapia, but it would go great with any protein!


Vegetable Faux-sotto


Ingredients:
1/4 cup barley
2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 portobello mushroom caps, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 white onion, chopped into (you guessed it!) bite sized pieces
1 tbsp Brummel & Brown spread (or similar product)
1/8 cup parmesan cheese

1. Place barley in a pot with 1 cup chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat, covered.

2.  Saute veggies in a pan sprayed with cooking spray until softened.

3.  As the barley cooks, stir every few minutes, and add broth as needed.  Taste after most of the liquid is absorbed.  If it's still hard, you need more liquid, add it now.  I end up using 2 cups, you may need more/less.

4.  When the barley is 90% soft, add the veggies and cover.

5.  When the barley is completely cooked, add the spread and cheese, stir thoroughly and cook for 2 more minutes with the cover off.  Serve nice and hot!

With mushrooms, asparagus and onions!

Just with asparagus