Veggie and Barley Soup

Recipe by: http://www.fromgardentosoupbowl.com/vegetable-and-barley-soup.html Ingredients Soup: 1 onion chopped 2-3 garlic cloves minced 2 yellow or white corn on the cob 2 carrots scrubbed and chopped 3 mini sweet peppers, red , yellow or orange or 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 small zucchini or 1/2 large, chopped 1 large or 2 small chopped tomato 1 bunch cilantro, 1 cup washed spinach 1 cup cooked barley per package instructions Ingredients Broth: 2 ears corn on cob, silks removed mini sweet pepper tops, bottoms and seeds zucchini stem/top carrot tops/bottoms onion skins 5 cups water 1 bunch cilantro stems

Place 2 soup pots on stove top. In broth pot add all broth ingredients. Bring pot to boil and then turn down. Cook on medium for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Remove corn and set aside. Remove all other vegetables and discard. Place broth aside until needed for soup. Prepare barley as per package instructions and set aside.

In second soup pot sauté onions and garlic, add peppers and carrots and stir while cooking for a few minutes. Add tomato, zucchini and cilantro and prepared strained broth. Cook until zucchini is tender but not soft about 8-10 minutes. Turn soup  heat off, add spinach and cilantro leaves.  Let soup sit 5 minutes covered. Serve with 1/4 cup of cooked barley and a few strips of corn off the cob per bowl. Lovely to garish with a squeeze of lemon or lime.