Sunday, December 17, 2017

Potato Barley Soup & Things

Because of the cold and snowy weather I can't stop thinking about soup!  So yesterday I made some Potato Barley.  I had both potatoes and barley on hand and wanted to use only the items I had on hand.  Oddly, I have had this barley in my pantry for quite some time and have been trying to think of what to use it in.  This soup seemed to be the perfect fit.  As you can see I topped with Nutritional Yeast and Smoked Paprika but it was only a sprinkle of each.  With the leftovers I didn't add anything to the top.  Below is the recipe.



About 4 or 5 Potatoes
1/4 C Barley
4-6 C Water *
4 T Vegan "No Chicken" Powder **
1/4 Onion, Minced
1/4 C Parsley
2 T Vegan Butter

* I started with 4 C but ended up with 6 C Water because it was so thick.

** I used a vegan "no chicken' powder.  All it contained was onion, garlic, corn starch, turmeric, sunflower oil, salt, yeast, celery seed.

For this specific vegan powder I used enough to work with 4 C water because that is what I started with.  The brand was Frontier Co-Op and a friend of mine a while back gave me a pound of it and I never opened it until this weekend.  The date was still good on it so I figured why not.  It was alright.  A little salty for my usual tastes.  The soup was still tasty but next time I will probably go lighter on the ingredient - that is - if I use it again at all.  I usually just use water - which you could totally do here instead of using the vegan stock, broth, powder, etc.  In that case I would probably just add some Bragg's Liquid Aminos, onion, garlic, etc.

 Either way - this was a very hearty soup - almost like a chowder.  I boiled everything for about 15-20 minutes, let cool, and then put everything in a blender.

Another thing I wanted to share with you today was these crunchy cookies from Simple Mills.  I found them at the Buffalo Whole Foods the last time I went.  They were pretty good while they lasted but I don't think I would buy them again unless they were on sale.  I think they were $4.99.  They did last me a while, however.  They looked different from what the package looks like here.  They were pretty small but a nice crunchy snack regardless.

I'm already sick of winter and it's only really bee a week.  This past week we have had 3 back-to-back-to-back snow storms.  BLAH!  I'm sure I will be doing more cooking today so I will have more vegan foods to share with you tomorrow.  In the meantime, I will be catching up on blogging buddies posts and such.  What did you do this weekend?

26 comments:

  1. This is def. the kind of soup to tuck into when outside it is cold and snowy. I have barley too, I shall be using it this winter too, its food that sticks to your ribs. i love the combo topping of paprika and nutritional yeast

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    1. Those are 2 of my sprinkle stopping lately - those and nutmeg!

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  2. Hope it's not too cold there this year. Lately it has been a time of extremes - here it will be so very hot one minute and the next minute, there will be a rainstorm, strong winds and all.

    We do have a very nice Chinese version of the potato soup with glass noodles, garnished with chopped Chinese parsley/celery but there is the bone stock that we use that's not vegan. Maybe I can try one day, the vegan version of it.

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    1. There are some pretty good vegan broth, stock, bouillon, base options here. I usually just use water and season it myself but I found that bag so I figured I would use it.

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  3. There's something about barley - as soon as the weather turns colder, I eat it by the bagful, but I never think of it at any other time of year. I love the bouncy texture it has!

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    1. It had been a loooong time since my last barley meal!

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  4. Potato is one of my favourite food!

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  5. Sounds so good on a cold day:) We still have this abnormal (warm) weather, so really can't even think of soup. But when it gets colder...

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    1. How warm is warm for you at the moment? I'm interested in weather in different regions!

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  6. Yum your soup looks so cream and soothing. Soup is one of the great winter comfort foods!
    Although we haven't had too much snow, it's been really cold and I am with you in hat I am so over winter already!!!

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    1. I know you know that we have only just begun with winter...grrrr...More soups on the way for sure!

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  7. This sounds like the perfect cold weather soup!
    It is hot and humid and sunny here, blah. I'm over summer.
    I spent the weekend eating... a lot! And watching Buffy with Dim Sim, which is the best way to spend time.

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    1. I'll take summer ANY DAY! Buffy!!!! Great show! I was a HUGE fan!

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  8. The soup sounds great, perfect for winter. I hope winter lightens up for you soon, wish you could send some snow this way!

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    1. Perfect for winter - indeed! With the way things have been I have a feeling I will be doing more and more soups and soon!

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  9. Hearty soups are just the ticket in winter! I hear you on too-long winters... not a fan of super-cold weather either.

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    1. I could go for hot beach weather all year round that is for sure!

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  10. I love barley but I rarely make anything with barley. I have a bag in my cupboard. Perhaps I'll make some type of soup with it this week. I did make Indian food yesterday, dog treats and homemade cold processed beer soap.

    I love all seasons, so no rush for me. I'll savor this time while it's here. :)

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    1. I know you like winter! Oh! I'm totally with you on the barley! I enjoy it but rarely making anything with it. I'm happy I challenged myself to do at least a soup with it. I hope to make more mini goals like this in the near future!

      Your Indian Food, Dog Treats, and Beer Soap adventures sound FUN! Can't wait to see them on your blogs!


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  11. The beer soap turned out great. I sampled a tiny sliver of it yesterday. It has a lot of lather. I can't wait until it cures. It doesn't smell like beer. To be honest, I much prefer making unscented cold or hot processed soaps, but I do make soaps that have natural scents.

    Now, I'm heading out for an onsite inspection, but when I return I do believe I'll make some barley soup. Yum! :) We'll have to capture Bella on video and send you a clip of how nuts she acts for those treats. It's hilarious.

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    1. That's interesting about it NOT smelling like beer! Neat! Can't wait to see your soup! And Bella sounds adorable as always! I'd love to see a video!

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    2. Oh that's common (scent being eliminated) most soaps don't smell like the ingredients that you add to them. This had a lot of unrefined cocoa butter in it also, there was no smell of chocolate. You usually add scents for it to smell like something. Even my Neem soap and pine tar soap scent dissipated after about a week. Neem smells strongly of garlic. Next week, I'm making a soap with lavender essential oil.

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    3. Interesting!!! Yes...Neem has a potent aroma that is for sure!

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