Sweet Potato Barley Risotto in the Crock Pot

ladypit's Note:

For Christmas 2005 my sweet husband got me a bunch of low fat cookbooks. So for my favorite has been a Canadian one called "125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes" by Judith Finlayson. This is an adaptation of a recipe from that cookbook that we enjoyed. If you desire some cheese can be sprinkled on the finished product, but we didn't think it needed it. For the record, I used an olive oil infused with garlic. Olive or vegetable would be good here.

• Total Time: 8 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 8 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 -2 1/2 onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 sweet potatoes

Directions:

1. Chop your onions finely.
2. Peel the sweet potato and chop into small pieces. I like to keep my chopped sweet potato in a bowl of water until I need it because I think it keeps it from changing color.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the oil in it. When the oil gets hot add the onions and cook until softened, stirring frequently.
4. Then add the garlic and rosemary and stir for about a minute.
5. Stir in the barley and stir until the barley is combined well.
6. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
7. Drain the sweet potatoes (if they were in water) and place into a large crockpot.
8. Pour the boiling stock mixture over top and stir well.
9. Cook on low for 8 hours until the barley and sweet potato are cooked through. If possible open the crockpot about halfway through and stir well.

Reviews

[Serah B.]

I felt like the flavors didn't blend well--I liked the sweet potatoes, I liked the barley, I liked the onion, I liked the spices, etc. and the texture of everything turned out very nicely, but the flavors just didn't seem to come together for me.

[death_by_parsnip]

I also wanted to like this, but it just didn't work for me. The taste was really bland and flat. I am going to try to add some other spices to the leftovers (Warning: this makes a LOT!). On the flip side, the texture of the barley was wonderful and chewy -- not mushy like when I cook it on the stove.

[Nickeletta]

I wanted to love this, but merely liked it.... I love the idea and may tweak the idea a little. It definately did need salt and pepper, as it was a little bland.