Vegetable soup

This is a great way to use up a lot of vegetables, including root vegetables, except beetroot which would give the soup too strong a colour. The key ingredients are the lentils, barley and stock cube, as these give it body and depth of flavour.

Onions
Mushrooms
Carrots
Swede
Cabbage, chard or kale
Leeks
Parsley
1 heaped tablespoon of barley
½ cup of red lentils
Vegetable stock cube

Prepare and chop your choice of vegetables into 1 inch cubes, except for the greens which you should finely shred. Fry the onions briefly and then add the other veg except the greens.

Throw in the lentils, barley and stock cube. Add boiling water, cover with a tightly fitting lid and wait about 30 minutes. Then add the finely shredded greens to cook for a little while at the end. You can serve the soup with crusty bread or add dumplings. To save energy, use a pressure cooker and reduce the cooking time.

This recipe was produced by the Southside Food Co-op during Healthy Living Week 2009, to demonstrate the kind of healthy, nuturitious meal that can be made when you buy their bags of organic vegetables. For more information about the food co-op click here.