Creamy Broccoli Carrot Soup

This is so easy and so filling, but so healthy! I guess that's the theme of all my soups, if you really think about it. It doesn't have a ton of calories (only about 180 per cup), so you can easily have seconds - even if you're watching your weight. The boys and I scarfed it right down.

4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. dry barley
2 medium stalks broccoli
2 large carrots, peeled if desired*
13.6 oz. can Lite Coconut Milk (I used the Thai Kitchen brand)
1 c. vegan cheese (optional)
4 T. nutritional yeast
Granulated garlic to taste
Real Salt to taste

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Add barley, return to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.

Shred carrots using the large holes of a cheese grater (a food processor makes quick work of this, but it's easy enough to do by hand). Cut florets off broccoli and chop stalk into pieces equal to the size of the florets, stopping when the stalk gets tough. Soak in a bowl of cold water and apple cider vinegar for about 10 minutes. Drain, then process in a food processor until small pieces but not completely pulverized.

After the barley has been cooking for 15 minutes, add coconut milk, broccoli and carrots. Stir to combine. Return to a simmer and cook 15 more minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Season with salt and granulated garlic as desired.

You can add the cheese and nutritional yeast at this point and serve, or you can make it creamier. I vote creamier. If you have an immersion (hand) blender, stick it in the pot and blend away until it reaches the desired consistency. If you don't, you can process in batches in your blender - just remember it's hot and the lid can blow off if you try to process too much at once. Make it as creamy or chunky as you like. If you are blending, add the cheese and nutritional yeast at the end. The cheese can be hard to get off the blender blades.

Makes 6, 1-cup servings (but you're going to want more than one cup, I promise!)

*Note: It is not necessary to peel most root vegetables - just give them a good scrubbing. Keeping the skin on retains more fiber and most of the time you won't notice a difference. :)

Mean Green Bean Soup

I wish I had thought of this while zucchini was in season, but it will certainly be a stand-by recipe next fall. In the meantime, this is a wonderful little treat to warm you up on those cold winter nights.

1 bay leaf
3 c. vegetable broth
2 T. olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 c. cooked white beans
2 c. sliced zucchini
1/2 of a 10 oz package frozen spinach (or use fresh)
1 c. cooked barley
1 T. dijon mustard
1 T. curry powder
2 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. miso paste

Put vegetable broth and bay leaf in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is soft. If you prefer carmelized onion, which I love, cook a little longer until onion browns. Sometimes I carmelize some garlic along with the onion. :~)

Put onion and all remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast and miso paste into the large pot with vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook over medium heat about 3 to 5 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked and soup is heated through. Do not over cook! Mushy zucchini is nasty. :(

Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Add nutritional yeast and miso paste, stirring well to combine. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Random factoid: You may have noticed that when using nutritional yeast I always recommend adding it at the end of the cooking cycle after removing the dish from heat. I have read conflicting reports, but some suggest that nutritional yeast will break down when cooked. Personally, I have noticed that it becomes slightly bitter if boiled, so I add it at the end. The choice is yours.

Bean & Barley Weight Loss Soup

I call this "weight loss soup" because it's relatively low in calories, very low in fat, and high in both protein and fiber. It uses a few more processed ingredients than I usually like (canned corn, green beans, etc.) so feel free to substitute fresh or frozen if you have them. This is especially good for combatting the Christmas Hangover - you know, the time when in three days you eat more cookies and fudge than any person should eat over the course of a lifetime.

1 1/2 c. black beans
1 can (12 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (12 oz) white or yellow corn, drained
1 can (12 oz) green beans, drained
1 c. cooked barley (not pearled)
1/2 onion, diced
2 c. veggie broth
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
Basil, granulated garlic (or fresh garlic), and Real Salt to taste
2 T. nutritional yeast

Combine all ingredients except basil, garlic, salt and nutritional yeast in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add basil, garlic, and salt to taste. Continue simmering for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Add nutritional yeast, stir well, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Makes 4, 1 1/2 cup servings or 6, 1 cup servings.

Curry Wraps

My oldest hates everything foreign - usually until he tries it. This was no exception. The flavor was not something he was used to, but it was quite yummy and we all enjoyed it. I should have made mored because they both wanted seconds! :o)

1 1/2 c. cooked barley
1 1/2 c. cooked white beans
Curry Sauce (recipe will follow)
3 burrito-sized wheat tortillas
9 romaine lettuce leaves
Shredded Vegan Cheese (if desired)

Combine barley and white beans in a large bowl or pot. Use a bowl if you are making a cold wrap and use a pot if you are making a warm wrap.

Prepare Curry Sauce:
1 package (12 oz) light firm silken tofu, drained
1 t. yellow curry powder
1 t. Real Salt
1/4 t. granulated garlic
1/4 t. ginger
1/8 c. nutritional yeast
1 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 c. coconut milk

Place all ingredients except coconut milk in a hand blender. Add half of the coconut milk and begin blending, adding more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency. The sauce should be thin but not runny. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Add 1/2 of the sauce mixture to beans and barley, stirring to combine. Store remaining sauce in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you want a warm wrap, heat barley mixture over low heat until just heated through. Remove center rib from lettuce leaves, and arrange three of each lettuce leaf on each tortilla. Top with 1/3 of barley mixture. Fold bottom up and then roll both sides over like a burrito. Serve immediately.

If desired, garnish with tomato and/or avocato before rolling.

Hearty Veggie Stew

The boys usually don't like soup for dinner, presumably because it's not very filling. The beans and barley make it stick-to-your-ribs-tasty. When I first started cooking, my almost-15-year-old said with a disgusted tone, "What has infiltrated our dinner?!?" Then when he ate it he said, "Dearest Mumsies, this soup is actually quite good!" I guess that's a compliment. :o)

1/2 c. dry barley
4 c. veggie broth
2 bay leaves
1 small onion, diced
1 T. granulated garlic (or use desired amount of fresh garlic)
2 t. dried basil
1 to 2 t. Real Salt
1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzo beans
1 12 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
2 large mushrooms, diced (about 3/4 cup when diced)
1/4 c. nutritional yeast

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water, 2 cups or more, and bring to a boil. Sort and rinse dry barley. Add to pot, return to boil, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until very tender. Drain.

While barley is cooking, combine veggie broth and bay leaves in a very large pot. Bring to a very low boil and cook for about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, basil and Real Salt. Stir to combine. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add garbanzo beans and tomatoes. Reduce heat to very low, just enough to keep warm, and simmer until barley finishes cooking.

Add barley, zucchini and mushrooms to soup mix. Stir to combine. At this point it may look like there is too much "stuff" for the broth, but resist the temptation to add liquid. The zucchini and mushrooms will cook down and it will turn out perfect. Cook for about 7 to 10 minutes or until zucchini and mushrooms are very tender. Remove from heat and add nutritional yeast, stirring to combine.

Serve immediately. Makes 4 very generous portions.

Asparagus and Delicata Squash

The barley makes this so chewey, nutty and delicious. I topped it with homemade alfredo sauce (from this blog) and it was absolutely delish. The delicata squash is probably my favorite, and who doesn't love asparagus? This was a win-win-win. :o)

1 large delicata squash
Drizzle olive oil
Real Salt
1 c. dry barley
1/2 lb. asparagus spears
Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice delicata squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in shallow baking dish and add enough water to make about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until very tender. Remove from oven, let cool, and remove flesh from skin. Cut into small cubes.

Once squash is in the oven, bring 3 cups of hot water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add barley, return to boil, and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain when cooked. Note: if you use pearled barley (which is the equivalent of white rice) it will take much less time to cook. For nutrition and taste, opt for hulled barley whenever possible.

Pour about 2 inches of water in a large skillet and bring to a boil. To prep asparagus, trim the rough, woody ends from the bottom. Cut remainder of stalks into 2 inch segments. Boil in skillet for about 5 minutes or just until tender when pierced with a fork. Do not overcook! Well, if you like mush then overcook, but if you don't, stop at 5 minutes. Drain hot water immediately. (This is a good chance to reserve the "broth" for other recipes.)

Measure out 1/2 cup barley each on four serving plates. Top with 1/4 of the squash and 1/4 of the asparagus. Top with homemade alfredo sauce. If desired, sprinkle hemp or sunflower seeds.