Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Vegetable Barley or Quinoa Soup

1 green pepper
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
1/2-1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 medium carrots
2 cups green cabbage
1 small zucchini (opt.)
1 cup chopped green beans (or 1 can green beans)
1 can (abt. 1 1/2 cups) chopped, stewed tomatoes (or 1 quart fresh)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup either barley or quinoa
1/2-3/4 cup ground beef, browned and drained (opt.)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. thyme
pepper to taste

Chop and saute the vegetables in the following order, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.  OR: Saute as directed and put in crockpot with the other ingredients. Needs to reach a near boiling temperature for quinoa or barley to cook properly. Then simmer.