Ingredients

• 1/2 pound lean stew meat, cubed (You may also use lean ground beef
• 1 clove garlice minced or 1/4 teaspoon dry minced garlic
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 7 cups water
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) (no salt added) whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1/2 cup Quaker medium barley, uncooked (I used Quaker quick barley, uncooked.)
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
• 2 packets Herb-Ox very low sodium beef Bouillion (I used 4 cubes.)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 package (9 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables

Instructions

• In a Dutch oven or large pot, brown meat.
• Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender.
• Drain fat.
• Add remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables.
• Cover. Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat. Simmer 50-60 minutes, stirring occassionally.
• Add frozen vegetables.
• Cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Additional water may be added if soup becomes too thick.
• Additional barley may be added for thicker soup.

Notes

Soup can be frozen in small containers for use throughout the season. This recipe is much lower in sodium than canned soups. Barley and vegetables are healthy for the heart.

SOURCE: The Spice Shaker Heart Healthy Cooking Series, Book 3. June 2016 CHI Health Page 14.