Greens, White Beans and Barley Soup

This is a nice summer soup for when you have lots of fresh vegetables and greens that need to be cooked up. It's not too thick, although you could mash the beans with a potato masher prior to putting them in if you wanted something more hearty for winter time.

Ingredients

• ½ pound carrots, peeled
• 2 tablespoons, olive oil
• 1½ cups chopped onions
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups cooked barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can (16 oz.) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1½ pounds collard greens, washed, stemmed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Hot pepper sauce
• Red or Yellow bell pepper strips

Directions

Cut carrots lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into ¼ inch pieces. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmery. Add carrots, onions, and kosher salt. Sweat until slightly softened, 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sweat for another 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and sweat for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.

Increase heat to high. Add vegetable stock, cooked barley, beans, bay leaves, sugar, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add greens and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and discard. Stir in vinegar and season with pepper sauce, fresh ground black pepper, and garnish with bell pepper strips.

Barley-Mushroom Risotto

Normally, risotto is a rice dish (in fact, an Italian would say that you can't make risotto unless it's with rice). However, any grain that releases starch and absorbs liquid as it cooks can be made into risotto (or a least a risotto-like porridge). The barley and mushrooms in this recipe give the dish a earthy richness that is almost beefy. You could make this as a main dish for a light supper or it would go great as a side dish to almost any meat - especially steak!

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (I like the vegetable better)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups packed chopped spinach, kale, or other greens
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the good stuff, not from the green can!)
• 1/4 teaspoon (to taste) fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan or kettle. Reduce heat to low and keep it hot.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat until shimmery. Add onion, mushrooms, and a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until the mushrooms have browned and the onions are fully cooked. Add barley and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is almost completely absorbed. Add more broth 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly at a simmer until each addition is absorbed before adding the next 1/4 cup. After 20 minutes of this, add bell pepper and continue adding/stirring broth. There should be about 30 minutes total cooking time. When the last addition of broth goes in, add spinach and simmer until the spinach is cooked and the barley is tender. Stir in cheese and black pepper and serve.