Barley, Butternut Squash and Mushroom Risotto

from cooking light:

3 c cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 T olive oil, divided
3/4 t kosher salt, divided
2 c thinly sliced shitake mushrooms- about 1/2 pound. I couldn't find these at the store so i used regular mushrooms. since you don't like mushrooms you could omit them without losing much from the recipe.
1/3 c finely chopped red onion
1 c uncooked pearl barley
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 c white wine
3 1/2 c veggie broth
black pepper
2 T fresh thyme leaves (i used dried)

1. preheat oven to 450.

2. combine squash, 1 T olive oil, salt/pepper. toss well to coat. arrange squash on baking sheet, single layer. bake for 25 minutes at 450. stirring once.

3. heat 1 T olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. add mushrooms; saute 5 minutes or until browned, transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl and keep warm

4. heat remaining 1 T oil in pan. add onion; saute 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. add barley and garlic; cook 1 minute. add wine; bring to a boil. cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. add broth, salt/pepper; bring to a boil. cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is nearly absorbed.
remove from heat. stir in squash, mushrooms, and thyme. serve immediately.

really tasty and good! plus a healthy, whole grain side dish with pretty significant protein.

the recipe called for taleggio cheese which i have no clue what it is(it said you could substitute brie, but i don't like that either). i stirred in some romano i had and i thought it tasted like barf (maybe i have just barfed too recently b/c eric thought i was crazy). anyway, i do not recommend using romano. maybe sprinkling the finished product with a little parmesan would be good.