Winter Warmers: Barley and Citrus Tagine

A healthy, hearty winter tagine. The fibre in barley has been shown to reduce cholesterol- in addition to all the other health benefits of barley. Including carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and oranges means you’ll get in a good dose of Vitamin A and C- both of which help support your immune system. Feel free to add in any other veggies that you need to use up- butternut and sweet corn (broken into smaller pieces) work really well.

Ingredients

1 tbsp of olive oil

2 red onions

2 garlic cloves

1 packet of brown onion soup *

1 tbsp. of turmeric

1 tbsp. of cumin

1 tsp of chilli flakes (optional)

1 cup barley

1 cup cubed sweet potatoes

2 peeled and chopped carrots

2 brinjals (eggplant) (cut into chunks)

1 can of tomatoes

Zest and juice of 2 oranges

3 cups of vegetable stock *

1 tbsp of honey

½ packet of baby spinach

*If you suffer from high blood pressure- choose low sodium stock and only include half a packet of brown onion soup for a low salt option

Method

• Heat oil in a pan. When hot sauté onions and garlic.

• Add 1 tbsp. of water, brown onion soup and spices. Fry until fragrant

• Add barley and vegetables and fry for a few minutes

• Add tomatoes, oranges, vegetable stock and honey.

• Season and allow to simmer for 30-40 min- until barley is soft and chewy.

• Stir through baby spinach and allow to wilt

• Serve warm