Mushroom Barely Soup with Roasted Brussels Sprouts Seriously Soupy

Mushroom Barely Soup with Roasted Brussel Sprouts - Seriously Soupy

After reading the title of this post I realized how much of a nightmare this might be for a child. Of course that is also a huge generalization; kids today have far more sophisticated palates. But, for me, the one veggie that I would never try, no matter if it was fried in butter or dipped in chocolate was brussel sprouts. Of course I later learned about the power of the sprout and really love to eat them roasted. For this soup, I thought they would make a nice addition a classic mushroom and barley that also included carrots, celery and leeks (had them around). This recipe was also made with an all-green roasted veggie broth that included broccoli, kale, celery, beet tops, and spinach. I also had these veggies lying around from the soup party and the soup cook-off that also needed to either be tossed or made into broth. Obviously, I choose the later. If you don't want to make the all-green broth, you can always use a simple veggie broth or rely on good-old fashioned fresh herbs. I hope you enjoy this one, brussel sprouts and all!

Roasted Greens for the Broth

Roasted Greens Broth

Ingredients:

Use any green vegetables that you have. I used:

head of kale

head of broccoli

2 stalks of celery

beet tops

1 yellow onion, peeled and cut

1 shallot, peeled and cut

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 turnips, cut up

2 leeks, cut up

drizzle of olive oil

4-5 cups of water

salt

pepper

bunch of fresh lemon thyme (or herbs of your choice)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut up the various vegetables and place them on a sheet of aluminium foil or a baking sheet. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Place the fresh lemon thyme on top and roast for 45 minutes.

A few minutes before the veggies are ready to come out of the oven start boiling the water. Cut up the shallots, onions, and garlic and add them to the pot. Add the veggies and let cook for about 2 hours. Drain the vegetables and presto: you have broth!

Mushroom Barely Soup with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

6 cups of water

2 cups of barley

1 package of mushrooms, cut up

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cups of brussel sprouts, cut up

2 stalks of celery, cut up

1 leek, cut up

2 carrots, cut up

3 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon of rosemary (for roasting)

celery salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Add water to pot and let boil, along with the minced garlic.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut up the brussel sprouts and drizzle them with olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Add them to a baking sheet or aluminum foil, cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes.