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No Beef and Barley soup: really heart healthy
Vegetable stock
Barley is a great source of soluble fibre which helps carry cholesterol through the gut to the outside world. The added vegetables add plant sterols. If you want additional plant sterols, add a cup of diced zucchini. If you have European neighbours, at the end of the season they will be begging you to take some of their home grown zuccinin: fill your freezer with it for occasions like this!
In the large soup pot sautee 2 diced onions, 6 cloves of garlic chopped, 2 carrots diced small, 2 stalks celery sliced thin.
When the onion is cooked until browned but not burned (this adds additional flavour and colour to the soup) cover with 2 quarts water, bring to a boil, add 1 cup barley. Barley swells significantly when boiled. It also has a coating of barley powder which thickens the soup. Simmer for about an hour. The soup will be quite thick.
Textured vegetable protein or "meat balls" made from vegetable ptotein, or cut up veggy burgers can be added to simulate the beef in traditional beef and barley soup.
This soup is good seasoned just with salt and pepper, but Italians like it with Italian seasoning added or it can be made spicy with paprika for Poles and Hungarians: it is a peasant soup and benefits from any such seasoning.