Bean and Barley Soup

Soup is so easy, it's one of those things you kind of toss together, cook a while and then enjoy with leftovers enough to eat throughout the week or to freeze. If you haven't noticed, we eat a lot of soup 'round here. But this one is my go-to soup recipe for when the fridge is looking sparse or when I don't know what the heck else to cook tonight (which happens more than you think!)

I think this soup gets better the longer it sits, so leftovers the next day are twice as good!

Ingredients

1/4 cup each: dried white beans, black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans

1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup each: chopped celery and carrot
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 boxes of vegetable broth
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can or jar of stewed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Quick soak your beans: place the beans in a stock pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and cover, boil hard for 2 minutes. Turn heat off and leave covered, let sit at least 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans, set aside.

Saute the vegetables and spices until fragrant and soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.

Garnish as desired: I topped mine with a handful of fresh spinach and a tablespoon of chili sauce. The kids had theirs with shredded cheddar.

Coastal Mexi-Cali Bowls

Cilantro-lime rice, black beans and fajita veggies? Yes please! This bowl captures the quintessential flavor of coastal Californian cuisine, where taquerias abound and everyone has an opinion on which one is the best.

Make it vegan by using vegan sour cream, and make it salt-free by using rehydrated black beans instead of canned.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
2 cups black beans, cooked and drained
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, halved and then sliced
1 tsp cumin
juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Toppings:
Salsa
Chopped fresh greens of your choice, like spinach or lettuce
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

After your rice is cooked, let it cool, covered, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer your beans with a tsp. of olive oil and 1 tsp cumin, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, saute your onion and bell pepper in a large skillet, over medium heat, until soft and slightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes.

Stir into the rice the lime juice and cilantro, mixing well.

Next up, the fun part! Begin to layer your bowls: Cover the bottom of your bowl with rice and top with a generous helping of beans, fajita veggies, salsa and green onion, then cheese and/or sour cream if using, and finish it all off with a ginormous handful of chopped salad greens.

Then contemplate heading out to the beach and soaking up the sand and surf!