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I haven't made barley soup in ages because I used to love my pre-vegan version that contained turkey bacon. I used to try to recreate a barley soup that I ate in Switzerland years ago. I came pretty close. Well, close enough.

My girls always loved the barley soup, so I decided to make a vegan version tonight. I used a dash of chipotle powder to reminisce about the missing turkey bacon. My 3-year-old requested corn, so I threw in some corn kernels. I also used a bit of lentils -- just because I like 'em.

This soup is better for fall, but it was actually (annoyingly) cold here today. So it worked. Even in May.

Vegan Barley Soup -- prep time: 1 hour; serves 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup dry Vermouth (optional)

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, diced

1/2 cup corn kernels

1 cup barley, uncooked

1/4 cup lentils, rinsed

dash chipotle powder

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

2 cubes of vegetable bouillon (or 4 cups of vegetable broth)

6 cups of water (or 2 cups of water, if you used 4 cups of vegetable broth)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in large pot. Add onion and sauté until onions become translucent. Pour in Vermouth and cook for a couple minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except for salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and cook for 40 - 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Enjoy!