homemade vegetable soup

i'm embarrassed at how long it's been since i've posted to this blog... but when i look at my life since july i don't feel quite so bad.  in the past three months we've been to new mexico, pennsylvania, maryland, and ontario.  and at least half of that time was blessed with morning sickness to boot - eating food has been enough of a challenge, let alone writing about it!  but we're home again now and i think i'm regaining my appetite (speaking in faith here).  this weekend at least has been a hit in the kitchen, so maybe it's time to start sharing again!

my sweet husband woke up stuffy and miserable this morning, so i wanted to make some comfort food with enough good stuff in it to hopefully help him feel better.  vegetable soup it is.  i totally made up this recipe and was amazed how well it turned out - we both had two bowls full.  i especially loved that i didn't have to go out for any special ingredients.  unfortunately i wasn't writing anything down as i made it and i'm not much into measuring so... everything below is a best estimate.  it's pretty basic though, i think you could easily tweak it to suit your taste.


Homemade Vegetable Soup - serves 6-8
prep time: 10-20 mins  cook time: 45-60 mins

1 small onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - diced
1 cup carrots - chopped (i used baby carrots, use whatever you have/like)
1 cup celery hearts and leaves - chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup frozen or cooked fresh spinach
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with liquid (without salt, if possible)
1 19oz can 6 bean mix (not the flavoured bean salad kind, just straight up beans) - rinsed well
1/2 cup barley - rinsed well
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (homemade, if you have it)
2 cups water (i also added about 1/2 cup of the leftover cooking liquid from blanching sundried tomatoes yesterday - you could add any leftover cooking liquid you have on hand, or none at all.  but if you add a significant amount, cut back on the water)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp marjoram (not sure why i added this... it smelled good at the time)
2 tsp basil - i used dried, fresh would be delicious
1 tsp parsley - ditto above
2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more if you like more spice
pepper to taste

saute the onion and garlic together in the olive oil.
combine the soup stock, water (+ any other liquid), sauteed onions and garlic, canned tomatoes, barley, and spices.  simmer on low heat for about 20 mins.
add carrots, celery, and beans.  bring to a boil, simmer until the vegetables and barley are cooked.
add broccoli and spinach at the end and simmer until it's heated through.

we had our soup with some grated mozarella cheese and lots of crackers but i bet it would be delicious with some fresh whole grain bread.  i'm hoping all the vegetables and the little bit of kick from the red pepper flakes will fight off any sicknesses trying to brew in our house!  regardless, the beans and barley make it a bit more of a complete meal than your standard out-of-a-can veggie soup.  yum.

let me know if you make it and what you think would make it better!