Cholesterol Down with some four mushroom barley soup

Yes, I'm still on my soup kick. After coming down with what my doctor thought was whooping cough for a month, it was so comforting to have soup to eat. It helped my recovery and at one point I was making two or three batches at a time.

This recipe comes from Cholesterol Down: Ten Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in Four Weeks--Without Prescription Drugs by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN. Since the recipes are all about using antioxidants and high-fiber whole grains to lower cholesterol many of her recipes could be used those eating to lose weight.

And you Weight Watchers folks? Only 3 points for 1½ cups - boy I love soup!

Four-Mushroom Barley Soup
Warm and comforting, this soup is just the thing for a cold winter’s day.
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 9 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• ½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
• 8-ounce package baby bella or cremini mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and diced
• 12-ounce package white button mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and quartered
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup whole-grain barley
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Shredded soy or regular part-skim mozzarella cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Heat 1½ cups chicken broth. Add porcini and shiitake mushrooms to broth and soak, covered, until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms from broth and chop into small pieces; set aside. Strain soaking liquid and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and shallots and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the baby bella and button mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Add carrots and garlic, stir, and cook an additional minute.
5. Add remaining chicken broth, porcini and shiitake soaking liquid, porcini and shiitake mushrooms, barley, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, stir, and cover; reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour.
6. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese before serving, if desired.

Nutritional information per serving (1⁄10 of recipe, 351 grams or approximately 1½ cups soup): Calories: 157, Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 744 mg, Carbohydrate: 20 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 7 g

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