I was supposed to make a pea and chive risotto the other day, then I discovered that I didn't have peas, only chickpeas, and some other things that needed leftover. And the result? Beautiful!
Forget about mac'n'cheese, this is a much better alternative! Healthier and still as deliciously cheesy, mmmm. I burnt my tongue in excitement when I tried it, couldn't wait for it to cool properly *hangs head in shame*, I blame this little number:
Cheesy Chickpea & Barley Risotto
(Serves 2, about 420 calories each)
1 tsp olive oil
50-100g leek, chopped
100g barley
8 cups of stock (two cubes, I used chicken)
120g drained and rinsed chickpeas
1 tbsp chopped chives (dried works too) plus a little extra for garnish
50g light cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
- Start by heating 1 tsp of olive oil up in a medium sized pan. Add your leeks and soften for about 5 minutes. Boil up water.
- Now, crumble in one stock cube, or add 1 1/2tbsp of stock powder in with it, as well as the barley. Stir until the barley is coated, before adding a cup's worth of water to the mix. Keep on a low heat and stir frequently, with a few minutes in between.
- Once the mixture has soaked up the first bit of water, add another part of water and continue. On your 5th cup, add another stock cube, on your sixth, add your chickpeas, and after the eight round, when you have ended up with a nice "wavy" mixture and the barley has softened, stir through the cheese and season to taste. I didn't need any salt thanks to the stock and cheese.
- Serve up with a little chive on top, and enjoy! I hope you like it as much as I did!
Recipe by yours truly
- Jules
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