Heaty winter vegetarian soup

One of the best things to eat during the cold winter months is a lovely bowl of homemade soup.

A great health boost is to have barley in that soup but many of us aren't a fan of broth, so how do we get the hearty grain into a soup we enjoy.

The answer is simpler than you might think. Make a tasty soup of your choice (I love fennel, celery, onion and potato, mixed with stock and blitzed together. While it was cooking, I had the barley bioling away. Once its ready, add to the blitzed soup and you have a healthy, hearty winter warmer.

You can do this with any soup you like but liquidise before adding the barley. Barley is good for lowering cholesterol, high blood pressure, balancing sugar levels and a whole host of other health issues. It really is a super grain.

For a birthday treat last week, I was taken out to a hotel in mid Argyll - the Kilmartin Hotel. I and my family had a lovely meal there, with reasonably priced dishes and the main I had, Chicken with garlic butter and lemon was simply wonderful and packed with flavour. I can happily recommend this place for a decent meal.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Barley, a Superfood

While spring is generally about light food and fruit is coming back into season, it can also produce some very cold and vicious weather, such as today. Gale force winds and a power cut, pelting rain and a coldness seeping in through all the cracks make for a very uncomfortable afternoon.

On days like this, there is nothing better than a warm bowl of good old fashioned broth like my mum still makes. Its not just that this food is hearty, warming and good for you, its also a very comforting dish.

The good news is that it is something that can be eaten by all, vegetarians, meat-eaters, vegans and celiacs.

While it was traditionally made with lamb stock, this is now no longer necessary and the meal can taste at least as delicious made from vegetable or even chicken stock (whatever you happen to have in your cupboards at the time).

The one ingredient that a broth cannot be without is barley. Barley really is a gift of nature. It has so many health benefits, it would take pages to reem them all of, so I’ll simply give a quick list of some of its greatest benefits:
Very high in dietary fibre
High in Selenium
And Tryptophan
As well as Copper, Manganese and Phosphorous

It is excellent for regulating cholesterol, blood sugar levels and blood pressure. It protects against heart disease and protects the intestinal tract, as well as having anti-cancer properties (esp breast and colon). It is also found to aid arthritis sufferers. This truly is a Superfood in all its glory.

This is an article and recipe on Barley and Broth: http://www.wikinut.com/good-for-you-broth-soup-recipe/z0d__mol/kxm529-3/


Enjoy :D