Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard

Play the game!  Guess if we're having a boy or girl in the comments to this post and you could win a prize!  The game ends on Friday morning when we have our ultrasound.

I went to download the photo of this recipe and discovered that Big had been using my digital camera.  She's really not a bad photographer.  There's this plant in our backyard that she's in love with - she plays with the flowers all the time and it attracts butterflies so she's always watching the butterflies in the yard.  Apparently, this plant and her little sister were her major inspirations. 

Thanks for indulging me in sharing her pictures - it's fun to see a glimpse of how things look through her eyes.  She tells me all the time "Mom, take a picture" of something she sees or likes.  

On to the food.  I love soup and I'm so happy it's cool enough to actually serve to my family!  This is a pretty basic recipe but I liked the combination of the cumin with the sprinkle of dill at the end.  You could double the lentils (put them all in when you would put the barley in and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until tender) if you're GF and you could easily use another dark leafy green (kale or spinach?) if you don't have chard.  And, the perfect thing to serve with soup is bread.  I made my first homemade bread in years but I'll save all that for another post!

Barley & Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard (serves 4)
adapted from Gourmet 2/05

1 T olive oil
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped peeled carrots
3/4 c. chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
5 cups (or more) low-sodium vegetable broth
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 cup diced tomatoes in juice
1/3 cup dried lentils
2 packed cups coarsely chopped Swiss Chard
2 T fresh dill

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, carrots, and celery unit the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cumin and stir for about a minute.  Add the vegetable broth and barley.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and lentils.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add chard to soup.  Cover and simmer about 5 minutes, until the chard is tender.  Season with dill, salt, and pepper.  Thin with more broth (or water) if necessary.