2 Great Vegan Soups - Easy Vegetable Soup and Vegetarian Bean and Barley Soup

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 quart good vegetable stock
3 large carrots, scraped
2 turnips, peeled
1 parsnip, peeled
1 onion
1 med tomato
3-4 stalks celery
1 medium sweet green pepper
4 oz (100 gr) oyster mushrooms in strips
1 tablespoon miso (optional)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Clean and chop all vegetables.

In heavy soup pot, saute onion, garlic and pepper in oil until it collapses and starts to color; add celery and continue to sauté until celery is partially cooked.

Add remaining ingredients, cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer.

Cook slowly until vegetables are tender.

Add seasoning to taste and serve with crusty wholegrain bread.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Source: http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=29a121cb9bb0e18004350deafb6322cb&topic=13921.0

Vegetarian Bean and Barley Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 cup each any other vegetables desired
2 tbsp oil or margarine
8 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup pearled barley, uncooked
1 cup pinto or white beans, pre-soaked if dry
1/3 cup tomato paste or crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt (optional)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano or Italian spice mix
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp onion powder (optional)
2 large bay leaves

In a large soup pot, sautee the onions, celery, carrots and any other vegetables for 3-5 minutes. Add vegetable broth or water and all other ingredients and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low.

Allow to simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until barley is soft and somewhat fluffy. Add more spices to taste and enjoy!

Source: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/r/barleyvegsoup.htm