After a wonderfully jolly weekend of trips up to the snowy mountains and into Canada, and good ol’ visits with friends and family, it’s time to knuckle down and get ready for my week.

Nooksack River, WA

I’m a busy girl these days, working full-time, freelancing for a newspaper and blogging five days a week. As much as I love to cook, by the time I finish my work each day I’m exhausted and all I want to do is curl up with a book and have food ready to eat.

Thus, every Sunday evening is spent in my kitchen, preparing foods that work beautifully as leftovers for the work week ahead: savory tarts, stew, casseroles, pretty much anything healthy that can be divided up easily and reheated.

This Sunday, after two days spent outside in freezing rain and deep snow,

I wanted to warm my bones with hot, soothing soup. I didn’t have the ingredients for “real” soup recipes, so I got creative, making it up as I went. It turned into a lovely chicken soup, thick and hearty with carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and barley,  and cilantro and fresh lime juice to zest it up. With tortilla chips on the side, it’s the perfect lunch for a rainy Washington day.

Chicken Barley Soup with Lime and Cilantro

Chicken Soup with Cilantro and Lime

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1/3 cup barley
1-2 tsp dried cilantro
1 large can chicken, shredded
ground black pepper to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Combine everything but limes and bring to boil.
2. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender and barley cooked.
3. Serve with limes and fresh cilantro.