Day 26: Beef and Barley Stew

A few years ago my husband was on a health kick and we started changing some of our eating habits. After a trip to the public library, he came home with a book, Eating for Life.  Not only was it a guide in how to take care of yourself with the foods you eat, but it also included some great recipes.  One such recipe was Beef and Barley Stew--now one of our favorite fall/winter soups.

I had never eaten barley before and was a little hesitant that it would taste too healthy, you know what I mean?  Well, barley is actually really good and has a nice texture when cooked in a stew like this.  I usually throw in frozen corn instead of the green beans, mostly for added color, and I'm really picky about frozen green beans :).  Most of the time I omit the carrot because my husband is not a fan, but other than that I stick to the original recipe and it's great!  Another bonus about this stew is that it freezes really well.  If you're feeling overly ambitious, go ahead and make a double batch and freeze the second one for later.  As is, it will feed about 6 people.  Enjoy!

Beef &Barley Stew
Printable Version

 1 T oil

1 1/2 lbs stew meat

4 C beef broth

1 C water

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery

1 carrot

1 t. oregano

1/4 t pepper

2 cloves garlic

1/2 C barley

1 bay leaf

10 oz. green beans

1 can diced tomatoes

10 oz peas

Cook meat in oil until browned.  Stir in next 10 ingredients.  Bring to boil, reduce to low, cover for 45 min.  Stir in remaining ingredients  Cook about 15 more minutes.  Remove bay leaf.

source: Eating For Life