Barley, Potato and Ditalini Soup

I have been trying several recipes and not many of them have been worth writing about. There were a few my family wishes I had never fed them.

I wasn’t too sure how they would react to this soup with having so much barley in it. I guess they have enjoyed it since my daughter and husband have taken it for lunch the past two days.

For those who have high cholesterol, a cup of barley eaten every day, will help lower your levels.

What I like about this recipe is you can play with the ingredients as you wish. If you are a vegan, use vegetable broth. I made my mine with chicken broth, but I think beef broth would be really tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup ditalini pasta

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup uncooked barley

12 cups of broth (your choice veggie, chicken or beef)

4 carrots, diced

½ cup celery, diced

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

In large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat

Cook garlic and onions, for four minutes

Add broth and barley bring to a simmer

Add carrots, celery, potato, ditalini, let simmer for 30 minutes

Add spices simmer for 6 minutes longer

Remove from heat and let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

** The longer this sits, the more liquid the barley and pasta will absorb. I added water, when I served the next day. **

Pepper Jack Cheese Spread

 

So the big game, or in our case, the race will be on today. Cheese, crackers and maybe some summer sausage would be good to snack on while watching.

I was at an upscale grocery store this week, and in the deli they had several “in-store” made cheese spreads. The one that caught my eye was Pepper Jack. After a quick glance at the ingredients, I thought, no problem I can make this at home.

You can make this as spicy as wish by adding more crushed red peppers.  I wrote the recipe so it is extremely mild, my husband would say "why even bother if you do not feel it burning." I actually made this, I added 2 teaspoons of crushed red peppers and let it “age” for a few days in the fridge.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with this as an additive. I made ramen noodles the other night for dinner, added cooked chicken and veggies. I drained off the liquid, and stirred in ¼ cup of this spread, turning it into a spicy, creamy, and inexpensive meal.

 

Ingredients

1 pound cream cheese, softened at room temp

1 pound pepper jack cheese

2 Tablespoons, roasted red peppers, chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

 

Directions

Using food processor, grate cheese

Switch to a chopping blade; add remaining ingredients to the bowl.

Run food processor until mixture is smooth. You may have to scrape the side of the bowl, to make sure all ingredients are blended.

Serve with crackers or celery ribs.  Place any left overs in container and store in the refrigerator