Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup with Barley

As I was looking for those Carrot Applesauce Whole Wheat Muffins on the 100 Days of Real Food site, I ran across two soup recipes that looked worth trying. This was one of them. I made one slight alteration to the recipe (adding a little Better than Bouillon to my soup at the end), but the rest of this delicious and filling soup recipe is from the 100 Days of Real Food site. This soup cooked up very quickly and smells earthy and wonderful.

Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup with Barley
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 pounds fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup pearl barley
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbs Better than Boullion Chicken (my addition)

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, carrots, and celery and cook until softened but not brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pot and cook while stirring for 5 minutes more.

3. Add the barley, broth, salt, and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Add the Better than Boullion and stir until dissolved. Stir in heavy cream and serve warm.

5. Store the leftovers in the fridge or freezer.