Comforts of home cooking...

A few years back, I took a course in food service management. The professor thought it was a good idea to have us all take a personality tests to evaluate the type of leader/manager we would become.  Her exact words when returning my results were "I don't believe this one!".  Overly opinionated, super talker, social butterfly Lisa was labeled an "introvert".  I was not at all surprised and once the professional who administered the test explained the result, it made even more sense. It was not evaluating the external persona, but how one 're-energizes". There are those who receive energy from being around others and those who regain it from time alone. The latter is totally me.   I love being around people and living it up but after awhile I need to have that time to recoup alone. I have two ways of achieving this alone time..running and cooking. I tend to enjoy the creating and eating of a meal over the running..especially this time of year! I can completely zone out and enter into a peaceful bliss while chopping/dicing fresh vegetable. An hour of preparing a meal can disappear in minutes because I am so relaxed and focused.

So after multiple (fun!) nights out this past week, I definitely needed some of that kitchen time. The snow fall this weekend is a stern reminder that we are still weeks away from Spring and possibly even more weeks away from it actually feeling like Spring. I think a white bean and mushroom barley soup makes for a nice warm hug on a chilly day...plus I made it in the slow cooker so my apartment had a wonderful aroma for hours!

White Bean Mushroom Barley Soup

Serves ~5

Ingredients:

1/2 med. onion

1 garlic clove
3/4 cup dry Yellow Eyed Beans (or any white bean) (Baer's Best Beans, MA)
6 oz Crimini Mushrooms, Raw (PA)
3 oz Shiitake Mushrooms Raw (PA)
1 container  Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth

1 qrt water (simply refill the broth container with the water and add)
3 lrg Carrots (NorthStar Farm, MA)
3/4 cup dry Pearled Barley 

1 cup of baby spinach (NorthStar Farm, MA)
1 tbsp Basil, dried,
1 tbsp Thyme, dried
1 tbsp Dill weed, dried

salt and pepper to taste

I soaked the beans for a few hours.  Dice the onion and garlic. Saute on low-med heat to bring out the flavor (3-4 minutes).  Cut the mushrooms into slices and the carrots into small chunks.  It is pretty easy from there..just add everything to the slow cooker!  The spice measurement is just a guideline..the more you add the more flavor you will get.  If you are less daring, cut the amount.  Cook on high for  4-6 hours (5 hours was actually perfect).   I do not live celery and would never cook with it..but for those fans out there, this soup would probably work well with a stalk or two..

There are some days when a watery soup works just fine for me but that was not the case last night.  To thicken it up, I pureed a couple of cups and added it back into the pot.  Mmmm...this totally hit the spot!

As usual, I like to make sure the meals follow my nutrition guidelines.  Low in calories and nutrient dense?  Yes!  The soup is packed with protein, iron, fiber and whole grain yet contains only ~250 calories per serving.  Serve it up with a half sandwich or salad and the meal is complete..

Enjoy!

L