Harvest Vegetable Soup

There are some things in life that give me a rush, 

like a Styx concert, 

a newborn babe, 

a fast Camaro, 

and a case lot sale.
Oh yeah.

You know what I'm talking about - you've lined up cans likes soldiers in a row and 
felt your heart rate soar off the charts.

There's a certain indescribable satisfaction (maybe it's just the Mormon girl in me) that comes from nesting/stashing/hoarding/prepping food storage.

  I fully acknowledge that 'pantry staples' sounds about as exciting as beige socks.  
Enter fresh vegetables.  
And now you have the best of both worlds.  

Hearty - Healthy - Homey
"How do I know if this is right for me?", you ask.  Well, if you're stepping on crunchy leaves and wearing a jacket and it's dark at 6:00, then it's the perfect thing for you.

It's kind of a 'stewp' - somewhere between a soup and a stew.

Harvest Vegetable Barley Soup (Slow Cooker)

1 onion diced (can sub 1/4 dried minced onion)

1/2 t. garlic powder

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes

2 t. dried thyme leaves

1/4 t. black pepper
3 T dried parsley

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup pearl barley

1 15 oz can any white beans (no need to drain)

1 15 oz can any dark beans (drain these, they have pasty juice)

 6 oz. can tomato paste

Combine all ingredients, onion through beans, in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, add tomato paste and cook for another 1/2 hour. 

Note: In my immediate stash I had rice, brown rice, arborrio rice, wild rice, lentils, split peas, red lentils, quinoa, steel cut oats, chia seeds, whole wheat, bulgar, oat bran and flax seed.  Everything but BARLEY.  I wasn't about to walk a block and a half in this brisk 60 degree weather for another trip to the store, so I used bulgar.  You do what you can.

This soup would be great with a grilled cheese sandwich, or cornbread and honey butter, some warm crusty bread, or some fresh greens lightly dressed.  

Get on this, you only have until 2022 to use up that stash.

Posted by Rona