Kegan has been on my case to start using the meat we have in our huge freezer. For some reason we have a lot of it….maybe it's because if given the choice most of the meals I make would be vegatarian. That's not to say I don't cook with meat or that I don't absolutely LOVE a good burger or steak but I feel bad. Like REALLY bad about eating animals. I know a lot of people roll their eyes when they hear that or they respond with the ever so witty comeback " if given the chance they would eat you! " Maybe thats true…although I don't think a chicken would eat me, but let's get back to the story. So Kegan wants me to use some of the meat we have and it just so happens that my naturopath is also on my case to start getting a crazy amount of protein in every meal. Alas I have begun to make my way through the freezer. Today I wanted a warm and comforting bowl of soup and this is what I came up with.  

Dice the potatoes.

Dice carrots and onions.

Add oil and saute onions until translucent. Now add the garlic and saute for one min. Dump in the remaining veg and cook for about 10 min. Stir every few min. Season with salt and pepper.

Get your chicken.

And the barley.

Chop the green onions.

Dump all the veg into the slowcooker. Layer the chicken on top.

Pour on the Vegetable broth and toss in the barley, green onions and thyme. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours then turn to low for the remaining 6 hours. When soup has cooked for 8 hours remove the chicken and cube it into bite sized pieces, dump back in crock pot until ready to serve.

Enjoy.

- 1/4 cup canola oil

- 2 large onions, diced

- 4 large carrots, peeled and diced

- 5 cloves of garlic, minced

- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

- 1 cup barley

- 3 sprigs of thyme

- 12 cups of vegetable broth

- salt and pepper to taste

- In a large pan over med heat add the oil. 

- Now add the onions and saute until translucent. Now add the garlic and saute for one min. Add the remaining veg to the pan season with salt and pepper and cook for aprox 10 min. stiring throughout.

- Add the vegetable to the crock pot and layer with chicken.

- Pour in the broth. Now add the barley, green onions and thyme.

- cook for 2 hours on high and then turn to low and cook for 6 hours.

- after the soup has cooked, remove the chicken and cube it into bite sized pieces noe dump it back into the pot until you are ready to serve.