Mushroom, Kale and Barley Risotto
1/2 cup dried sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup pearl barley
1 head of kale
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 large field mushroom
2 cups chopped button mushroom (or mushrooms of your choice)
1 smll zucchini
1 cup arborio rice
vegetable stock
1 glass of white wine (optional)
1 cup Pecorino cheese (or parmesan)
goat's cheese to serve

I dry roasted the barley the day before using it (believed to make the barley have a more alkalizing effect on the body) but it is an optional step.
Soak the shiitake mushrooms and barley together, at least overnight in a litre or so of water.
Put barley and mushroom soak into saucepan, add two litres of vegetable stock and simmer.
Chop onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini (into small cubes) and kale (into chiffonade).
Saute onions, add garlic and then after a few minutes add arborio rice. Stir till the rice starts to go clear and then add glass of white wine, once wine is absorbed, add kale and stir through. Start adding a ladle full of the stock mixture whilst stiring continuously so the rice is constantly absorbing the liquid. Make sure you are getting the barley from the bottom of the saucepan as you add the liquid. Continue to stir until you are on you last ladle of stock. Add mushrooms and zucchini. Keep stirring until all stock is used up. Stir through fresh grated Pecorino cheese and serve with chunks of goat's cheese on top if desired.

Shiitake mushrooms (Letinan Edodes) are high in Lysine, Pepsin & Trypsin (aid digestion), have cholesterol lowering properties and are excellent sources of Vit A, B, C, E and D (when sun-dried)