Mushroom-Barley 'Risotto'

A fun twist on 'risotto' using barley! Served with a salad of spinach, strawberries, sliced almonds and goat cheese.

1 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 chopped onion
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
10 oz package of mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used baby bella)
1 c pearl barley
3 c vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
ground black pepper

Heat the oil over medium heat.
Add onions; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic.
Add mushrooms; cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the barley to coat.
Add the stock, salt and turmeric: bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
Stir in the Parmesan and pepper.

Serves 4.

*In the future, I plan to experiment with various types and textures of mushrooms - white, cremini, oyster, etc.