Successful recipe adaptation: Bean & Barley Soup

I've been craving beans, but find canned stuff very salty, so jumped on the mix bag I saw at Trader Joe's. I didn't like any of bean & barley soup recipes I saw online, mostly because they all call for tomato products, and because the spices didn't sound that exciting. So I tried this instead, loosely based on the bag recipe:

Bean & Barley Soup

• 1 bag (2 cups?) of Trader Joe's 17 Bean and Barley Soup Mix
• 1 cup of chopped sweet bell peppers, I used the frozen bag of tri-color peppers from Trader Joe's
• (cost effective and so easy!)
• 2 chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2-3 chopped carrots
• 3 red potatoes (mine were precooked,so they just kind of mushed in, but chopped raw would do fine)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbl. Olive Oil.
• 3 T mushroom base (bullion alternative--it's a jar of seasoned mushroom concentrate and I highly recommend it as a substitute for chicken broth which I'd been spending a fortune on)
• 8 cups water
• Handful of fresh rosemary & basil, chopped

Soak Bean & Barley combination overnight.

In a heavy bottom pan saute in oil for 5-10 minutes: onion, celery, carrot, potatoes and peppers.
Add garlic. Then add water & base, or use broth. Add beans & barley. Add spices when
desired---I did it at the beginning and it turned out fine, but some people would probably prefer to wait till the end at least for fresh.

Simmer covered about 1 hour or till beans are at desired doneness.

This turned out way better than I expected. Very yummy. Even my toddler ate a few bites. I had too much for just me though (beans aren't my husband's thing). Beans get very mushy when frozen and I'm not great at thawing stuff anyway, so I gave some away and it was enjoyed.

Clark is a Boy!

He just doesn't seem like a baby any more. He continually amazes us.

About Me, Long

I guess this is too long for the About Me box, so it will have to be my first blog. My son was born in October '08 and from the time I was pregnant I've been using my brain more than ever to figure out how to be the best parent I can. Along the way I've had more opportunity and motivation to consider how to be a better resident of Earth, in spiritual, cultural and environmental senses. I've discovered that a gentle, attachment parenting philosophy is the best fit for me, my husband, and my son. And we're embracing some crunchy practices as they help our budget, aid our health, and fit into how we want to treat the world. Our lives have been filled with love and grace, and though my weaknesses get in the way of reflecting that as much as I want, that love both motivates and restricts my crunchiness, as the case may be. So I'm crunchylite, not (mostly) out of weakness, but as a lifestyle choice that values moderation, and in all things, Love.