Rusty and I had ridden to Ohio together yesterday, 500+ miles for him, 460+ for me. Our cousin, Emma Lee Watson, passed away and we went to Ohio to be a support to her children, our second cousins. You know, we just don’t see family enough any more. We all grow up and get busy with our lives and it takes a funeral to bring us together again. So sad, but very true. I guess if I want that to change, it has to begin with me. I do know that I love them all very dearly.

Today I was very tired. I looked in the refrigerator to see what I could make for lunch, and when I looked in the freezer, I saw several opened bags of frozen veggies, just several partial bags. I decided to make “Clean Out The Freezer Vegetable Stewp.” So, use whatever veggies you have that you want to use up, in whatever quantities you have of each one.

I sautéed 1 large onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I then began to add the frozen veggies. I had lima beans, haricots verts (green beans), peas and carrots, corn and I added 2 medium sized potatoes that I diced up.

To this I added 5 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of water. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. I also added 1 teaspoon hungarian smoked paprika and 1- 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes and about 1/2 cup uncooked barley. Let it cook until all vegetables are tender and barley is done then serve. So delicious!

The meal was delicious. With this stewp I served a beautiful salad. Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded granny smith apple and sliced grape tomatoes. Lime vinagrette over the top. Very simple a little apple cider vinegar and some lime juice, black pepper and a pinch of salt. So good!

I also served whole grain baguette with the lunch. Here’s the table picture.

As with most soups, this stewp is even better on the second day. Please be adventurous when making soups. Fall and winter is such wonderful soup weather. I could eat soup every day, so I’ll show you my recipes. If you have any you would like to share, please post them here. Include a picture!

Happy, Healthy Eating

Jackie V.