I love beef soup on a cold day. But to make it healthy, I choose to combine meat and lots of veggies in it like in this beef and barley soup recipe. I like my soup rich but still healthy so I ensure I get both whenever I cook.
1quartbeef stock (beef broth or beef bouillon) - homemade is best
1quarttomato - canned
2cupswater
¾cupbarley
1smallbay leaf (bay leaves)
2teaspoonHimalayan salt (pink salt)
½teaspoonground black pepper
¼teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoonwhite vinegar
Instructions
In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of lard.
Add ground beef (grass-fed beef is as nutritious as salmon, with the same Omega-3 fatty acids that doctors are always raving about) and brown over medium heat. When meat is almost browned, add onion, celery and carrot and continue to cook and brown the meat, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients (for the instructions on how to make your own broth, see the post on this website), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 2 hours or until barley is tender. This can also be cooked all day on low in the crock pot for a hot meal that's ready when you get home from work. Discard bay leaf and serve. Or you can leave the bay leaf in as the "straw" determining who will wash up the dishes.