Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Barley and mix vegetable soup

Daylight saving time ended for us last weekend. This translates to pitch darkness at 5 pm. :-O In the cold weather of the Eastern US coast this transition is almost depressing! I felt lost and didn't know what to do in the dark cold evening at 5 pm! All I wanted was some comfort food and a warm blanket.
Made this simple, tasty, filling and HEALTHY soup. I used tons of vegetables and added barley an some quinoa to add tons of "grain-goodness" and fiber. I didn't even need bread to go with this soup. It was filling on its own. Add the feel good factor of a healthy meal. I deviated a little by adding crushed potato chips in it, YUM! :)


The pictures are pretty terrible thanks to the darkness and my low patience in that state of mind. But definitely a healthy option when you run out of dinner ideas. I used the pressure cooker- it was super easy to throw everything in and have dinner ready in about 30 mins. It might be a great idea to cook this in the crockpot too.Use veggies of your choice and alter the spices/flavoring to your taste.

What you need:
Onion 1/2 medium - thinly sliced
Garlic 6-7 cloves - minced
Ginger 1 tbsp - minced
Green chillies - minced (optional)
Barley 1/2 cup washed
Quinoa 1/4th cup washed
Water or vegetable stock - 5-6 cups

Vegetables I used:
Broccoli chopped
Carrots diced
Frozen corn kernels
Chopped kale

You could add any vegetables of your choice

Seasoning I used:
Chilly flakes
Herbs : dried basil, italian seasoning
Fresh cilantro
Pepper powder
Lemon juice (2 tbsp)


Method:
1) Heat a tsp of oil in a pressure cooker. Add chilly flakes if using.
2) Add garlic, ginger and green chillies if using and onions. Sautee the onions till they are golden brown.
3) Add in all the veggies and lightly sautee for a minute.
4) Add the barley and quinoa.
5) Add enough water - about 6 cups.
6) Add in seasonings of choice except lemon juice, salt. Check seasoning.
7) Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles.
8) Add lemon juice just before serving.