Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash

This tasty treat comes from a recipe found in the October issue of "Country Living" magazine...the recipe practically begged to be made as the only change necessary was the exchange of olive oil for cooking spray! The use of barley for risotto would ordinarily not cross my mind but after tasting its sweet and nutty flavor and learning that it packs almost twice the amount of protein found in regular rice I will be looking to use it in future risotto dishes as a replacement. The butternut squash gets its own baking treatment prior to joining the risotto and I have to say the pieces that had a bit of burn to them had the best flavor; I think if I make this again I will let the squash go under the boiler for a few minutes to crisp burn the majority of pieces. The dish itself is a combination of sweet squash, nutty barely, fresh thyme, lemon, garlic, parmesan cheese, wine, onions and of course a subtle broth of rich stock. Perfect dish to make on nights when you are in the mood for something light yet filling, at only 5pts per serving gotta try: Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash