Autumn Vegetable/Barley Soup

Cool, crisp days and I think of soup!  To me it's the ultimate comfort food and I loved when I came home from school and my mother would have a pot of soup on the stove.  Vegetable and Bean soups were the two she made the most and the ones I loved, but in the summer, she'd also do a "She-Crab Bisque" that my father loved--me, not so much since even back then, I was somewhat of a vegetarian.

The idea behind the soup I made today was inspired by a recipe in the October 2011, Clean Eating magazine--Kale Barley Soup, but I made a few changes.  It's been a hectic Monday and I've got lots of projects going in addition to a friend is returning home tomorrow after being away a month in Guam with family. She's "nursing" a cold she caught in the last week and bringing some soup to her house is a gift I know she'll like.   I also KNOW from past experiences--jet-lag will set in with the time change and she really won't feel like making meals: )

Simple ingredients, full of flavor and low in calories and fat is what this recipe has to offer.  The addition of barley, which is part of the grass-family and used as a base malt for beer, is a great addition in soups and stews and in many cultures, breads.  Barley does contain gluten, so if you need this to be gluten-free, you should try another grain, (i.e. Quinoa).


Autumn Vegetable Soup
3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 leeks, cut just above the white, slice in half and clean well
4 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, vein removed and chopped (about 6 cups)

1 can (28oz) Fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 cups cooked barley
6 cups vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. seasalt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil on medium.  Add the onion, leeks, carrots, and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.  Lower heat to med/low and cover pot.  Heat about 3 minutes more.  Add the can of tomatoes, vegetable stock and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add kale, cover and cook until kale turns bright green, about 5 minutes.

  Add the cooked barley and stir to combine.

 Heat through, about 5-10 minutes more.  I serve the soup with homemade rolls and a new jam combination I made from bosc pears and raspberries I got at the farmer's market on Saturday.

Your palette will enjoy the combination of these veggies and I bet, like me, memories of Mom's kitchen filled the air with comfort. Enjoy!

Mac & Cheese Soup...a toddler's delight

Mac & Cheese is the ultimate comfort food.  Both Ari and Maddie find this to be true and love to have it at least a couple of times a week.  When I came across this recipe in the January/February food network magazine, I brought it with me to make for Ari while I was here in Kentucky.  The first word out of his mouth when he saw the soup at his place, was "Yum."

The recipe actually calls for roasting some Roma tomatoes and baguettes in the oven to top the soup with, but for a toddler, I just accompanied some cherry tomatoes for him to add and he did with each spoonful.  It has just a few ingredients and takes less than 35 minutes to make which was easily accomplished while Ari played with Thomas the Train.  I set it up his set on his mama's desk and he had such a fun time pretending with all his new friends.

Mac & Cheese Soup
Kosher salt
4 oz (1 cup) elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
cooking spray
2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 1/2-inch thick slices baguette
Freshly ground pepper
3 shallots
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable stock)
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese ( about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450F-degrees.  Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil.  Add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain.
2.  Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the tomato and baguette slices on it in a single layer; season with salt and pepper.  Bake until the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes.
3.  Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the flour and cook, stirring 2 minutes.  Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
4.  Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt.  Season with pepper.  Top the toasts with tomatoes; serve ontop.

I loved this soup! And, I can't wait to make it for Pop Pop when I return home.  Cold, winter days and soup is so satisfying...just ask this toddler.  Enjoy!

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!  It's rainy and windy outside; the leaves are falling and I've decided to take the chill off by making a pot of soup.  My mother taught me this trick by making pots of her vegetable soup, bean soup, or maybe a chicken noodle when the weather turned and it worked every time.

My choice for this chilly Fall evening is a Mushroom Barley Soup.  Mushrooms are a good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, cobalamins) and ascorbic acid.  In case you're interested, China is the world's largest edible mushroom producer and consumer of this fascinating fungus.  Along with the barley, which is also a good source of dietary fiber, you have a satisfying, healthy soup to ward off flu bugs and as my Irish father would say, "warm the cockles of your heart."

Making soup is one of those things that the whole family can get involved with and it's an inexpensive way to provide a hearty, healthy meal.  I'd love to hear about a favorite soup you make; a family recipe or twist on old standard.  Cold nights = Bowl of Soup!

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup

1/4 cup  (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 lb. while button mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 1/2"-1" pieces
1/2 lb Crimini mushrooms (or your favorite) cleaned and cut into 1/2"-1" pieces
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 stalks of celery, chopped into small pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup Pearl Barley, rinsed
2 T all-purpose flour
8 cups Vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 T fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill

In a large Dutch oven or sauce pan, melt butter.  Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute for 5-7 minutes.  Add all the mushrooms and barley and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and the vegetables start to brown.  About 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine.  Gradually add the broth and bring the soup to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and cover the sauce pan.  Simmer until the barley is tender, about 40 minutes.  Before serving, add the parsley and the dill and stir.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  I combined this soup with a "melt-in-your-mouth Parkerhouse roll and a salad.  The soup warmed me up and even with the rain falling and the wind howling, I closed my eyes and was in my mother's kitchen again--Enjoy!