Vegetable barley soup to warm up Meatless Monday

​​​No one's saying you have to go meatless just because it's Monday -- but as an incentive to join the growing Meatless Monday movement, we're featuring an animal-free recipe each week.

This vegetable barley soup is beef-broth-free -- but the cooking sherry and barley miso add a full-bodied flavor to the plant-based recipe. It's perfect for lunch or dinner on a cold, snowy day, especially when served with crusty bread to sop up the juices.

You will need:

1/2 cup raw hulled barley
7 cups water (more, if needed)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large potatoes (4 small potatoes)
2 stalks celery
1 red bell pepper
2 carrots
1 cup green beans
1 large yellow squash
1 1/2 cup mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
3 tablespoons barley miso
ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the barley in a medium saucepan with three cups of water; bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours (until the barley is tender). Drain. (You can do this step in advance.)

2. Prepare your vegetables for the soup. First, dice the onion.

Slice the potatoes. (We like to use red potatoes; they add a nice color to the final product.)

Slice the celery stalks.