Рецепт Chicken, Barley and Vegetable Soup...
Healthy is as Healthy does. Unless Healthy is bland and boring. Then Healthy is replaced by Hostess Ding-Dong's. I'm just sayin', if one is going to STAY on a diet then one must eat GREAT tasting food or else the jig will be up! This soup falls into the great-tasting category...plus it gets extra points for being healthy, full of vitamins and fiber and low in calories!
Please ignore the red pepper in the photo above, I don't know how it sneaked into the shot but it is NOT part of this soup - the rascal! Chicken, browned in olive oil, salt and pepper is combined with onion, garlic and crimini mushrooms, which give this soup an earthy taste...make that full-bodied taste. Fresh veggies round out the rest of the ingredients - and then, even though this tastes great just as it is, it is served with a lemon wedge - yep, you read that right - a lemon wedge! It brightens up everything, making this, according to the mister, "the most excellent bowl of whatever I've ever had!" He has such a way with words! And just because I can, let me give you another example of the King's Speech - he brought up travel again last night and he said he'd like to "ride the trundle." To which I replied, "Aren't you a little old for that?!?" I had no idea what he was talking about but that's pretty much my pat come-back to anything he says. But curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask, "What is a trundle?" And he said, "You know, that thing that goes under the English Channel!" Oooooh, the Chunnel...folks, he IS, even at his worst, great entertainment!
Here's the deal: Cook the chicken, toss in the onions, garlic and 'shrooms. Add vegetable broth, dump in all the chopped veggies and barley. Let cook for one hour. Stir in spinach, cook for 5 more minutes and it's done. Serve with a lemon slice and sit back and enjoy the "mmm-mmmm's" 'cause you'll hear them, that's for DANG sure! This isn't a tricked-out recipe - no fancy seasonings, no weird ingredients, just down-home and humble but it gets 5 dangs my friends because this one is dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good!
- Chicken, Barley and Vegetable Soup - Pots and Pins
- 3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 64 oz. vegetable broth
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup zucchini, diced (about 2 small zucchini)
- 1 cup carrots, diced (about 2 carrots)
- 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks celery)
- 1/2 cup pearled barley
- 1 cup (packed) fresh spinach, stems removed, roughly chopped
- lemon wedges for serving
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil and add chicken pieces, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken begins to brown and is almost cooked through, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add in onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, or until onion just begins to soften. Stir in garlic and mushrooms and cook for two more minutes. Pour in vegetable broth. Add in green beans, zucchini, carrots, celery and barley. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for one hour. Remove lid, stir in spinach and cook for additional 5 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls and serve with lemon wedge to be squeezed into soup. YUM! Makes 8 servings.
"You grow up the day you have your first real laugh - at yourself." ~ Ethel Barrymore
One year ago: Red River Chili
Two years ago: Satsuma Orange Marmalade
Three years ago: Dixon's Famous Lemon Cream Cheese Pie