Vegetable Barley Soup

This one I made up as I went. I bought pearl barley at the health food store, and wanted to make a nice, easy, autumn soup with it. I used the remainder of my vegetable stock, approximately 6 cups, as the liquid for the soup. 

1 cup barley

6 cups vegetable broth

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

1/2 cup fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t cayenne pepper

1 t dried oregano

Saute carrot, celery, onion in large pot adding salt and pepper to taste. Add barley and broth and cook until barley expands. Add in peas, parsley, herbs and spices. Garnish with a sprig of parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Vegetable Stock

Deceptively simple yet ridiculously delicious.

I don't eat chicken or beef stock, so when preparing soup or stew, I use vegetable stock. Recently I was reintroduced to the ease and simplicity of making my own vegetable broth, and now I have a few quarts of the stuff at the ready in my refrigerator.

Use vegetable scraps - carrot peelings, celery ends, corn cobs, and the like. Put them in a pot and add a couple onions, cloves of garlic. Add plenty of water. Cook for 30-45 minutes. Yes, this really is enough time.

Let the mixture cool before you poor it in containers. I recommend using glass bottles, mainly because I think everything tastes better out of glass than plastic. But, also it's a lot easier to pour out of bottles. This is also a great way to recycle pasta sauce bottles...

Enjoy! Oh, and you really shouldn't keep this longer than 10 days, but it can also be frozen (just not in glass bottles).

Earthy Risotto

I made this easy recipe after a long day at work. I was so tired, I didn't think to take photos. It's not a pretty dish, but it's hearty, healthy and filling on a cool Autumn night.

Earthy Risotto, by Shira
1 Cup Italian Lentils, rinsed thoroughly
1 Cup Arborio Rice
4-6 Cups Vegetable Broth or water
1 Small Butternut squash, peeled and cubed - save seeds and toast
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 small bunch spinach, washed thoroughly and chopped into rough pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 t italian herbs
1/2 t cumin
1 T Basil, fresh, chopped
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Olive oil

Combine lentils and rice in large pot or dutch oven, and add at least 3 cups liquid, cook until both are tender, adding more liquid as necessary. Consistency should be thick, but don't allow it to stick to the pan. After about ten minutes, add butternut squash, and continue to cook.

While lentils/rice/squash are cooking, saute shallots and garlic in a separate pan with a little olive oil. Add to pot. Season to taste.

*To toast squash seeds, spread on a baking sheet with a little olive oil and bake for ten minutes or so at 350 degrees, until crispy (not burnt).

When almost ready to eat, add spinach and let it wilt. Stir and serve. Garnish with grated cheese, and toasted butternut squash seeds.