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~

A "What's Left In The Fridge Veggie Soup"

Just as the title suggests, this veggie soup was self-created with whatever I could find in the fridge.  It was one of those days where we REALLY needed to go to the store, but it was so cold and nasty out.  Dinner was a necessity, and there was minimal food in the fridge. Hence, A "What's Left In The Fridge Veggie Soup" was created.  This soup produced leftovers for a few days too.  "C," The Official Taste-Tester, gave it a 9!

A few days before making this soup, I did a bean "experiment" that produced WAY more beans that I had expected.  I typically just use canned beans, but I decided bulk beans would be fun to try.  (Note to self, pay attention to that little label that says dried beans will increase by 2 to 3 times when cooked). Also this process took much much longer than expected.  It felt like I had beans soaking and simmering for days.  While I like the concept of using bulk beans, it's just not for me.  I'm more of an instant gratification person when it comes to bean consumption.

Yep, that's a LOT of beans

Even more beans...

Ingredients: (Makes enough soup for lunch/dinner for a few days!)


2 tbsp. olive oil
3-4 chopped scallions
2 cups mixed beans (you can used canned too)
1/4 small package baby carrots
4 cups water (might want more though)
1 small box broth
1 can chopped tomatoes
5 bay leaves
1/2 package shredded carrots
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp thyme
1 bouillon package
2 tbsp garlic salt
Quinoa
Shaved pecorino romano cheese

Steps:
1)  In a very large pot, heat oil on medium low.  Add in scallions and let cook for about 3-5 minutes.

2)  Add in beans.  I used the mixture of beans from what I had made before (kidney beans, navy beans, chick peas, adzuki beans, black beans, and black eyed peas). You an also easily just use a few cans of beans.  Let cook for about 5 minutes.  

PS: Whole Foods is a GREAT place to get different types of beans! I had never heard of adzuki beans before, but found them at Whole Foods.

3)  Add in baby carrots and water.  I only used 4 cups, but it could probably use up to 6 cups of water, depending on how many beans you use.  As the soup sits, the beans and the quinoa really soak in the water.

4)  Add in broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, shredded carrots, thyme, rosemary, and bouillon package.  Let cook on medium-low until the carrots are soft, about 30-40 minutes.

5)  While the soup is cooking, make the quinoa in a different pot, following the directions on the package.  When the quinoa is finished add it to the soup mixture.

6)  Just before serving, shave some pecorino cheese on top.  I also served the soup with some mini cornbread muffins.

~Eat Well and Be Happy~