My husband loves mushroom barley soup, and so, on this cold January night, I figured it was as good a night as any to try my hand at this classic soup.  And, I just found out, according to Whole Foods, it’s National Soup Month (http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2012/01/celebrate-national-soup-month/) so my timing is perfect.

Ingredients (for 2 – 3 main course sized servings):

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tbs olive oil

salt

basil

herbs de provence

black pepper

227 grams (a package) of sliced white mushrooms

1/2 cup pearl barley

1 cup kale, cut into thin strips

4 cups vegetable broth

How I made this:

In a large pot, sautee the onions and celery until tender in a bit of olive oil

Add the mushrooms and the vegetable broth and the seasonings,

Add the barley

Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and then add the kale.

Let simmer for about 35 – 45  minutes over low heat. (I realized that I did not use “quick” cook barley, but the regular kind, so it took a bit longer than I expected.)

Enjoy!