BARLEY VEGETABLE SOUP

NOTE: This recipe is from my Vintage Recipes blog. With a few changes, this should be okay for most diabetics. I have put some diabetic suggestions in ( ).

This old-fashioned recipe is also a healthy one. Give it a try for an old-fashioned healthy, tasty meal. Just add a crusty whole-grain bread or muffin and you have a meal! (Leave off the bread unless you use low carb/no carb bread.)

In a stock pot, heat 2 tbsp oil(olive or coconut) and saute 2 medium chopped onions until transparent. Add: 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced and 1/3 cup barley. Saute a for a few minutes.
Add to the stock pot: 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery, 3 cups sliced mushrooms, 1 potato, scrubbed clean and diced with peeling left on (sweet potato), 8 cups water or beef or chicken stock--your preference, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 3 tbsp (lite) soy sauce, and 3/4 (1/4 to 1/2) tsp seasoned salt. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add to soup: 2 small zucchini, cut in half lenthwise then cut into slices. Continue to cook until zucchini is tender. Season with salt (omit), if desired, pepper, and cayenne pepper to suit your taste. After dishing soup into serving bowl, garnish with a dollop of sour cream (plain low-fat yogurt), if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

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