As I type this the wind is blowing the Autumn leaves off their limbs and the daylight has hardly appeared through the sky. Fall in the North West! On these chilly mornings thinking of what to make for dinner takes on a whole new look and feel as the days of tossing a light refreshing salad together, or throwing some veggies on the BBQ have passed. Winter meal-planning can feel more laborious and I think tends to more dinning out for many people.

The reality is a lot of warm, nourishing meals can be made with not much leg-work and the really cool thing is unlike Summer dining, hearty soups, stews and casseroles can be easily doubled or tripled and frozen for later enjoyment!

This soup is about as yummy and filling as soups come and can be altered to be lower-fat with the exchange of ground turkey meat, or vegetarian as I prefer with the addition of lentils, or a few varieties of beans. But the original recipe ROCKS and freezes up perfectly!

(BTW the best way to freeze soups is to put the soup in zip-locks in whatever quantities you desire (I often do 2 servings to defrost for the kids if we are heading out or to feed Michael if he is on his own for an evening; or enough for 4 to feed us all and this allows me to easily invite others over as I can just grab two bags)…take the bag and set in the drawer of your freezer upright, or in a bowl if you do not have a freezer drawer. Once frozen you can fold over the extra portion of the bag and slide them in wherever they fit!

Beef & Barley Soup

• 2 pounds extra lean ground beef (be certain to thoroughly drain the fat off of the meat once it is cooked)

(feel free to substitute with bison meat, lean turkey, or omit meat and use extra veggies/beans/lentils)

• 2 cups celery, cut into ½ inch dice
• 2 cups carrots, cut into ½ inch dice
• 2 cups cabbage, cut into ½ inch dice
• ½ cup onion, cut into ½ inch dice (I use a whole onion and I use red b/c it is my fav)

NOTE: This is the perfect example of why we all need Nicer Dicer’s! Need I say more? Unless you are like my friend Honey Curvy who will triple this recipe and make it just so she can chop and chop and chop, ARRRGGGHH!!!!

• 2 (50 ounce) cans beef broth or Consomme` (I like Sexton brand)
• 1 (28ounce) can Paradiso brand whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, including all juices
• 2/3 cup uncooked barley
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar , or to taste
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

1. In a large kettle, brown ground beef just until it is no longer pink, crumbling the meat into small pieces. Thoroughly drain off fat. (Most reliable method-especially when doing larger batches- is to pour meat and fat through a strainer set over a large mixing bowl and allow meat to drain for 5-10 minutes.) Note: I NEVER do this:)
2. Return drained meat to pan and add celery, carrots, cabbage, onion, consommé, tomatoes and juices , barley, thyme, basil and garlic. Cover pan and bring mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender.
4. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper.
5. Check seasoning and serve

Great with a crusty bread, cold beer or nice glass of red wine