Warm Barley Salad

Hi! I apologize for the LONG space in between posts.  But I am back!

We recently discovered barley! (I know.  It's been around awhile.) I love rice and potatoes, but Dustin gets bored, so I have to keep finding new side dishes. This warm barley salad is a fabulous substitute for plain old rice or potatoes.  Plus, it's healthy :) This application (to steal a term from Alton Brown) is very similar to risotto.  I typically serve this with chicken that I roast in the oven while the barley salad cooks.

1 cup uncooked quick cook barley
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
8 oz asparagus cut into 1" pieces or fresh green beans
32 oz of heated Kitchen Basics chicken stock or beef stock or vegetable stock (it depends on what you decide to serve this with)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper

In an 11" or 12" skillet, saute the onion and carrot in olive oil over medium heat until slightly tender.  Stir in the barley and one cup of chicken stock cook until the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in the asparagus or green beans.  Cook until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed by adding one cup of broth at a time and stirring frequently.  Once the barley is tender and liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and stir in the cheese, thyme, and pepper. Salt to taste.