Tomato-Barley Soup or Tomato-Quinoa Soup (Gluten free option)

We enjoyed a new plant-based meal today.  It is easy and inexpensive.  In fact, I used leftover stir-fried vegetables and tomato juice that I drained from diced tomatoes, yesterday.  I remember when I was a little girl, my grandma showed me a container of leftover vegetables that she kept in her freezer.  Then, when she made soup, she had some vegetables all ready to add.  Quick and easy, just the way I love to cook!

This recipe was adapted from The Imus Ranch:  Cooking for Kids and Cowboys by Deirdre Imus.  Here at River Valley Ranch, my kids loved it!  They said it reminded them of our famous chuck wagon stew.

Tomato-Barley Soup 
Tomato-Quinoa recipe at the bottom (gluten free)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
(or  2 cups of leftover vegetables)

8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup barley, rinsed
1/4 cup buckwheat groats (these are a complete protein, but are optional)

3 Tbsp. white whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper (optional)
fresh or dried basil, to taste

1.  Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat.  Add vegetables and saute until tender.  (Or get out your leftover vegetables).

2.  Place the vegetables in a food processor or blender with 1 cup broth.  Return the vegetables to the pan and add broth, juice, barley, buckwheat groats, and hominy.  Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes.

3.  Stir flour in a cup with about 1/2 cup of water, until smooth.  Then, spoon more and more hot broth into the cup, stirring.  Then add the flour mixture to the hot soup, stirring, until thick.  Add spices, take off heat, and serve.

I served the soup with a green salad and 100% Whole-wheat bread, made in the bread machine.  Easy and delicious!

Gluten Free Option:
Change barley to quinoa, which is gluten free.
Change the whole-wheat flour to buckwheat flour, also gluten free.
I tried this when my brother and sister-in-law were at our home this past weekend.  The added red pepper really has a great flavor.

To Eat or Not to Eat Gluten

My bread baking helper, with wonderful flour on her beautiful face.

Well, this unprocessed food journey sure has its ups and downs.  It was a big down, for me after reading Wheat Belly.  After cutting out processed foods, preservatives, dyes, and things I can't pronounce, then to tell me I can't eat wheat either!!!  I was left depressed.

I have come to the conclusion that for our family, cutting out wheat all together is not necessary.  However, cutting back on wheat makes sense.  My family eats a lot of wheat...bread, pasta, crackers, desserts...it seems to be in everything, when you start thinking about it. 
On the other hand, there really are many wonderful foods that are gluten-free.  I've been introducing some to my family, like rice noodles, variety in cheeses, millet, and quinoa.  It's been fun and delicious.  We are focusing on eating vegetables and other other gluten-free options.  I even made gluten-free pizza, using cauliflower for the crust.  That didn't go over very well.  I think I ate all the leftovers.  However, many of the new recipes were very tasty:  ranch dressing, zucchinni "pasta" with mushrooms, flax-seed wraps, avocado/mango salsa with chicken, and stir-fry with rice noodles. 

I took a break from making whole-wheat bread for three weeks.  Yesterday, I made bread, and it tasted delicious!  I think in the future, I will make less bread, but enjoy it more.  I want to look into using einkorn wheat, which is an older version of the wheat we consume today.  No, I'm not going to plant a whole field of it, as we first thought!!  I don't know if modern wheat is the cause of health problems in people, but it can't hurt to cut back. 

My suggestions:  Do research into wheat.  Eat real whole food.  Focus on vegetables, as Michael Pollan says, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Gluten-free Snacks:
Veggies (with dips like hummus, peanut butter, sour cream, cream cheese)
Salad
Fruit
Yogurt with fruit (berries)
Cottage Cheese
Cheese chunks or slices (with peanut butter or olives)
Nuts
Seeds
Gorp (mixture of raisins/nuts/seeds)
Corn meal mush
Hard-boiled egg
Popcorn

Speaking of popcorn, spring is here!  I am getting out the the kitchen and into the garden every chance I get.  My two oldest are planting strawberry popcorn in their gardens this year.  It is always fun to try something new.  Are you planting anything new?

Mango and Avocado Salad (after reading Wheat Belly)

 

With many of my friends and family going gluten-free, I thought I better find out what the hype is all about.  I love wheat products, so I didn't want to even think about the possiblity that wheat could be bad for me.  However, I do not want to be ignorant.  So, I read the book Wheat Belly by William Davis and have been doing research into gluten.  I am at the very beginning of learning about it and am not ready to make any drastic decisions.  So far, I can agree that vegetables, cheese, nuts, and real food are the best things to eat.  Will I stop making bread?  Give me some time to think about it, and I'll let you know. 
If you have read Wheat Belly or are gluten-free, I would love to hear your comments below.
This salad recipe was inspired by my gluten-free learning, family, friends, and my love for mangoes.  Enjoy!

Mango Avocado Salad
4-8 ounces of mixed greens
1 mango, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 red onion, sliced
 alittle extra-virgin olive oil for dressing