Irish White Bean & Cabbage Stew

For the past few Sundays, I've been making big batches of homemade soups for our workweek lunches.  It's been working out great and I've gotten to try all kinds of new soup recipes in the process.  I was really impressed with this one - it reminds me of one of my old favorite "non-plant based" soups - Rachel Ray's Stuffed Cabbage Stoup, minus the meat, of course!  This is a nice, hearty soup - chocked full of healthy ingredients and it's fat free to boot!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds potatoes, cut in large dice
• 1/3 cup pearled barley (optional or substitute with gluten-free grain)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6-8 cups organic vegetable broth
• 3 cups cooked great northern beans (2 cans, drained)
• 15 ounces of diced tomatoes* I buy the glass jar of diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Place vegetables, seasonings, barley, and broth into a large stockpot. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, check seasonings, and add more herbs if necessary. Simmer uncovered for at least 15 minutes before serving.

* I prefer to buy the glass jar of tomatoes - since most canned tomatoes have a BPA/plastic lining to keep the can from rusting due to the acidity of the tomatoes.  Whole Foods sells "Bella Terra" brand organic diced tomatoes, they're a little pricey but I feel better about buying them in a jar.  Alternatively, you could chop up fresh organic tomatoes and throw them in there...

Cooking time (duration):75 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 6

Thanks to the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen for this recipe: 

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/03/irish-white-bean-and-cabbage-stew.html