Veggie Barley Stew with Cheezy-herby Dumplings

It’s less than two weeks until christmas, the ground is frosty and the air is crisp. I’m trying to keep my Christmas binge to Christmas Eve, Day, and Boxing day this year so I’ve been looking at coming up with warming, filling, yummy meals that feels luxurious but are still low in fat. If you want to reduce the fat in this recipe further then skip the dumplings. This serves 4 with the dumplings or 3 without them.

2 medium onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 large parsnips, sliced
1 medium leek, sliced
1/2 whole swede, diced
175g Pearl Barley, rinsed
1 ltr vegetable stock
1 tbsp shoyu
1 tsp miso
1 tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp dried Parsley
1 Bayleaf
1 tsp vegetable/olive oil

Dumpling Mix:
100g Self-raising Flour
50g vegetable suet, grated
50g vegan cheese, grated
2 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme, lightly ground
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh chives, chopped

Preheat oven to Gas 6.
In a large pot heat the oil then add the diced onion and celery. Cook on a medium temperature until the onions have softened and become translucent, about 5 minutes (if it starts to stick then add a little of the stock). Add the rest of the vegetables, stir, and cook for a further 4 minutes. Add the stock, shoyu, and miso then bring to a boil.
Once the veg is boiling, add the barley and herbs before transferring to an oven-proof casserole dish (if you are lucky enough to have a dish that can go from stove top to oven then please use it to save on the washing up!). Put in the oven with the lid on and leave to bake for 1 hour.

While the stew cooks, prepare the dumplings.

In a large bowl mix the flour, suet, cheese and herbs together with a little salt and pepper. Adding a little at a time, mix in water to make a sticky dough. Once the hour is up take off the lid and drop balls of the dough on top of the stew and leave to cook without the lid for a further 20-25 minutes.

4 servings – Per serving (including 2 dumplings):
Calories: 505
Carbs: 78g
Fat: 13g
Protein: 12g
Fibre: 16g

3 servings – Per serving (excluding dumplings):
Calories: 385
Carbs: 72g
Fat: 2.6g
Protein: 10.6g
Fibre: 18.6g