The minute the weather changes here in Canada, is the minute my salads change to soups! I love hearty (and pun intended) heart-healthy and filling soups during the colder months. Soups are simple to make and easy to re-heat. There isn’t much prep that goes into this soup, however, all good food requires a bit of effort;)

As I’ve mentioned in some other recipes, I always prefer to purchase dried beans and soak them over night prior to cooking. Not only is this a necessary step when using dried beans, but it’s much healthier for your body to digest them this way. Apart from spit-peas and lentils, all other dried varieties need to be soaked.

Beans do take awhile to cook, but if you make big batches you can use them throughout the week for multiple recipes that you can later freeze. If you want to totally skip the bean-prep step, of course you can buy canned or jarred (more preferable).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pearl barley to 6 cups water
• Salt + pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1 whole small white onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 3 cups chopped kale
• 2 cups navy beans (canned or jarred)

Directions:

• Bring 2 cups pearl barley and 1 tbs salt to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 25-30 min.
• In a separate pan drizzle olive oil, adding garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat until slightly brown
• Add 2 carrots and kale and drizzle more olive oil
• Add salt and pepper
• Sauté until carrots are softened and kale is cooked
• Once barley is fully cooked add kale and carrots and beans to barley
• Add 1-2 cups of water or veggie broth if you prefer more liquid
• Stir and enjoy!