Vegetable Barley Soup

This tasty soup will keep you satisfied on a cold winter day, and it's loaded with vitamins and antioxidants.
Ingredients;
3 tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium cooking onion, chopped
3 chopped scallions
1 large peeled and chopped yam
1 32oz carton of vegetable broth
3 cups of water
3 plum tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp each of oregano and basil
1 large bay leaf
1/2 cup of barley
Course sea salt and black pepper to taste
Pour olive oil into a large saucepan and add garlic, carrots, celery, onion, scallions, and yam to the pan. Saute until slightly softened over medium heat.
Add the vegetable broth, 3 cups of water, tomatoes, spices and barley to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, place heat on high and bring to a boil. When soup is boiling, stir and lower heat to simmer, and cover. let cook stirring occasionally. Soup should be ready in about 35 to 40 minutes.
To make this the main dish for a healthy dinner, serve with toasted whole grain bread, and a tossed salad loaded with veggies. A simple dressing such and balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for the salad is perfect.