Mushroom Barley Soup

Barley is a long chain carbohydrate. It has a low gycemic index. I have a love for mushrooms. These are what piqued my interest in this recipe. There's nothing like a hearty hot soup to warm your insides on a cold day. We enjoyed this soup! The hubby said it was missing just one thing, "MEAT". Maybe I will try preparing it with a few beef stew cubes in the future. I felt like this had too much barley. The next time I prepare this I will probably reduce the amount of barley in half.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil
1 rounded tsp chopped garlic
1 yellow onion chopped
2 carrots diced
2 ribs celery diced
1/2 pound white button mushrooms diced or sliced, whichever you prefer

64 ounces of hot broth (divided)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp sea salt (optional)
1 cup of pearlized barley
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in heavy bottomed stock pan.
2. Add garlic, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until tender.
3. Add mushrooms.
4. Add herbs and seasonings and White Wine Vinegar.
5. In a separate pot heat half of the broth until boiling. Once it has boiled, pour over softened veggies.
6. Rinse sort and rinse barley. Add to stock pan.
7. Simmer on low for 2 hours.
8. The barley will have swollen and softened. As a result you may not have very much stock left.
9. Add remaining half of hot broth to the stockpot and stir.
10. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.

Enjoy