Barley Vegetable Stew

Every year my family does a rather large Easter Basket Exchange.  My brother-in-law (a financial-nerd shall we say) created a chart where (in his words) "each participant will be assigned a partner to provide an Easter Basket for based on the highest correlation of their company's stock performance when viewed across the universe of chosen companies." (We were each assigned companies based on our personalities or where we worked).

UM WHAT?!

So in my Easter basket, I received a great soup mix called Halladay's Fresh Harvest: Farmhouse Barley Vegetable Stew.  

And a fun chef's hat!

I added a few extra ingredients to make it super hearty.  The mix contained: barley, split peas, vegetarian stock, ground peppers, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and bay leaf.  All things you can easily combine even if you don't have the mix.  



Ingredients:


Barley vegetable stew soup mix
Fresh mushrooms
Carrots (chopped)
Dark red kidney beans
Diced tomatoes (1 can)
Water





Steps:
1.  In a large pot, add 8 cups of water, tomatoes, and soup mix.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

2. Add in chopped carrots, mushrooms, and beans.  Continue to simmer for 1 hour.

Have you ever tried different soup mixes? What's your favorite??

~Eat Well and Be Happy~

Spinach Bean Stew

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small sweet onion (chopped)
3 red potatoes (chopped)
1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
1 can black beans
1 can navy beans
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups water
1 package baby spinach (stems chopped off)
Crumbled feta cheese to top

These potato cleaning gloves are the best!

Steps:

1.  In a large pot heat oil over medium heat.

2.  Add in chopped onions and potatoes.  Cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Add in mushrooms, and thyme.  Continue to cook for about 10 more minutes.

4.  Add in tomato paste and 2 cups water.  Cover and continue to cook for about 8 minutes.

5.  Add in navy beans and black beans (remember to drain and rinse them first). Cook for about 5 more minutes.

6.  Add in the spinach, about half the package at a time.  Stir until the spinach has wilted, then add in the rest.  Cook for 5 more minutes.

7.  Top soup with crumbled feta cheese

~Eat Well and Be Happy~