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

Tempting Turkey Burgers

These juicy burgers will have people believing you made them on the grill!
It cost me about $5 to make these burgers for a family of 5!



Onions, Olive Oil, Mushrooms



Essentials for Tenderness and Flavor




Salt 'N Pepper's Here!




Add Liquid Smoke for that fresh Grilled Taste



Add the Worcestershire Sauce




Add the Mustard



Add the Ketchup




Add the Oats (Sneak in fiber, stretch the burgers)




Whisk the Egg



Mix In the Beaten Egg



Formed Patty




Browning the Burgers




Plain burgers on toasted buns. The burn one is for Mom. Isn't that always the case?



Dressings: Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions, Sliced Jersey Tomatoes, Crisp Iceberg Lettuce, Dill Pickles, Sweet Peppers





INGREDIENTS

1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 Egg
1 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke
fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste
pinch of salt (optional)
1 tsp Yellow Mustard
1/4 cup Ketchup

2 medium Yellow Onions (sliced)
1 container of White Button Mushrooms (sliced)
Olive Oil

Soft Burger Buns

Dressings/Toppings
Iceberg lettuce
Jersey tomatoes
Dill Pickle Slices
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Ketchup

DIRECTIONS

Lightly toast soft buns in toaster oven. Set Aside.

Slice tomatoes and prepare lettuce. Set Aside.

You may prepare the meat overnight if you desire.
Add salt, pepper, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp liquid smoke, 1 tsp mustard, 1/4 cup ketchup, to ground turkey meat. Mix well.

Add 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal, and 1 lightly beaten egg to the bowl.
Mix well. Press patties. Set aside (refrigerate).

Slice Onions and Mushrooms. Saute in olive oil until tender and caramelized.
Remove from pan. Set Aside. Add more oil if necessary.

On Medium Heat, brown burgers on each side. The interior may still be pink.
If you leave the burgers in the pan they may burn because of the sugar from the ketchup. After burgers are browned, place them in the oven on 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Dress the burgers as desired.

Serve with seasoned french fries. Enjoy!

Easy Beef Pot Roast

This is so simple!

I usually buy london broil or top round when it goes on sale at the market.

You Will Need
















FLOUR



RED WINE



BEEF STOCK





INGREDIENTS

About 3 lbs of Beef Roast.
(I used 1 lb london broil & 2 lbs top round)

3 Carrots sliced

2 Ribs Celery sliced

1 Onion quartered & sliced

1 pkg sliced mushrooms

1 Pkg Vegetable Soup Mix

Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1/3 cup Flour

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 cup Red Wine (optional)

1 cup Beef Stock

DIRECTIONS

Heat Olive Oil in heavy pan.

Rinse the meat. Pat dry. Cover & pat in Sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper.
flour the meat. Sear the meat on each side. You want it to brown.

Add cut veggies to the crockpot (Carrots, Celery, Onions, Mushrooms)
Sprinkle dry soup mix over the meat.
Make sure there are no chunks of the boullion flavor.
If you have to break it up with your fingers.

Pour 1/2 cup of Red Wine in the crockpot.
Add 1 cup of Beef Broth.

Cover with lid. Set it on high for 4hrs. Voila Ici! It's DONE!

2 Hrs Cooking

4 Hrs Later It's Finished Cooking






Place Meat on Platter, Cover Loosely with Foil Let rest 15 Minutes Before Carving



Aux Jus with Veggies. YUM

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You can make a quick roux on the stove & add beef stock to make more gravy if you prefer. I usually shred the london broil with two forks so there are lots of meat bits in the gravy. This is delicious served over rice.

Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Mushrooms

Image Credit: realsimple.com

Roasted Chicken with Garlic & Mushrooms,
Rice, Gravy,
Field Green Salad


I tweaked this recipe using ingredients I had on hand.
Original calls for it to be prepared with dried thyme, kosher salt & served with greenbeans. I omitted the greenbeans & will replace that with a garden salad.


Serves 5
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 1hr 00m

Button Mushrooms


Close Up Mushroom Brush



Olive Oil & Seasonings


Close Up Measured Seasonings

Orange, Garlic, Fresh Thyme


Ingredients
5-pounds chicken (thighs)
2 teaspoons FRESH thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 12 whole cloves peeled,
1 small navel orange, halved
1 10-ounce package button mushrooms, quartered

DIRECTIONS
1.Heat oven to 400° F.
2.Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a roasting pan.
3.In a small bowl, combine the thyme, red pepper, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
4.Brush the chicken with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with the chopped garlic and spice mixture. Arrange the whole garlic cloves and orange halves around the chicken. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
5.Divide the chicken and garlic among individual plates and squeeze the roasted arrange halves over the top. Serve with the mushrooms.

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Thanks to REAL SIMPLE for the inspiration for the recipe
www.realsimple.com