Soup: Minestrone Soup with Black Beans & Barley

A yummy vegetarian bean and barley soup with little fat.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Barley

Health benefits of Minestrone Soup with Black Beans & Barley

Barley is about the best grain a woman with PCOS can eat. It is low in calories and has the lowest GI of all grains. Low-GI grains such as barley take much longer to digest and create a slow, steady rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. As mentioned before on Fertility Chef, low-GI foods reduce cravings. If possible, try and find hulled barley as it is the most nutrient dense of all types of barley.

Ingredients

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 large carrots
4 stalks large celery
2 medium green summer squash
1/2 medium green pepper
1 can red tomatoes
1 cup canned black beans
1 cup cooked barley
2 tsps salt
2 tbsps black pepper
2 tbsps dried barley
2 tsps ground dried oregano
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water

Instructions

1. Chop onion, garlic, carrot, celery and green pepper into small pieces.

2. Add to a large pot (set on medium-low) and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring to keep vegetables from sticking.

3. After about 10 minutes, add chopped green summer squash and tomatoes and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.

4. Add chicken stock, 2 cups of water, black beans, and half the spices to vegetable mix and continue cooking (uncovered) for about 20-25 minutes (until the vegetables are tender).

5. Add barley, remaining spices and remaining water and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes or until cooked to your liking!