It's Officialy Soup Season

Nothing puts me in the mood for soup quite like visiting the farmers market while the first cold front of the year pushes through. This past weekend I was lucky enough to visit the Green City Market in Lincoln Park while visiting my mom and sister in Chicago. I would absolutely argue that this is the best farmers market I have attended, especially during the summer months when local vendors setup tent upon tent of fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, herbs, lettuce and anything else you can dream of! As I walked around the city and watched the first snow of the season floating through the buildings, I knew I wanted one thing: soup. 

Over the next two months I will be sharing some of my favorite soup recipes with you. To kick-off this soup season I decided to go with an all time favorite...mushroom barley. In an attempt to ease my husband into this ongoing broth-based period of time, I decided to add some chicken and make the soup a bit more substantial. The final result turned out to be amazing! This soup is not too heavy, contains no dairy but maintains that smooth and creamy texture and provides enough protein to serve as both a lunch and dinner dish!

Ingredients:
1.5 cups finely chopped carrots
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 box crimini mushrooms
1 larget portabello OR 3 mini portabello stuffing mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp salt + to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp fine herb blend (I am a fan of The Fresh Market blend)
48oz vegetable broth (I absolutely recommend Whole Foods 365 brand "value size")
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of organic pearled barley
1 full chicken breast (typically sold after being separated we often buy 1/2 a breast when we order "1" chicken breast - if that's the case with your butcher you will need two chicken breasts)

Directions:
Dice the onion. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the onions and allow to sauté while you chop the remaining vegetables. Thinly slice the carrots into small rounds. Cut the mushrooms into equally sized small blocks (not long strips). Add the mushrooms, allow to cook 2-4 minutes. Add the carrots. Add the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and herb blend. Allow to cook over medium heat until the vegetables are fragrant (approximately an additional 2-4 minutes). Add the vegetable broth and water. Cover and bring to a boil. As soon as the liquid is boiling, add the barley, reduce heat to medium and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the raw chicken, return to a boil and boil (over medium heat) covered for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the chicken breast and place on a plate. Note: If the chicken is still visibly raw at this point, return to the pan until just cooked throughout. Using two forks, shred the chicken before returning to the pan. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Hope you all enjoy this cozy and chunky soup as the temperatures continue to fall reminding us that the holidays are quickly approaching!