Crockpot Barley Vegetable Soup

I found this recipe online, of course, at fatfreevegan.com, but then I made a couple of changes, since I don't like green beans and it was featuring green beans. Here's the modified version.

Ingredients:
1 c. medium pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 9-oz pkg baby carrots (I just used about 10-15 out of a larger bag I had)
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 tsp minced garlic
1 large or 2 med sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 16-oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp salt
5-1/2 - 6 c. water with 3-4 Tbsp of McKay's Chicken-Style seasoning (or 3 14-oz cans vegetable broth)
4 c. water
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes with herbs, undrained

Place all ingredients except tomatoes in a 5-6 quart crockpot in the order given. Do not stir. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Stir soup and add tomatoes. Cover crockpot and cook 20-30 minutes longer until soup is hot.

Remove bay leaf before serving.

10-12 servings.

Crockpot Lentil Vegetable Stew

I found a Vegetarian Crockpot Lentil Soup recipe on About.com that sounded perfect for a cold fall day last week, so I made it, but added a couple of items and left out another to make a pot of lentil vegetable stew that was excellent, lasted all week (it makes a lot of stew), and even had enough to share with friends and family. You should try it!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of lentils (rinsed and sorted, at least I like to)
• 4 cups of water
• 8 cups of vegetable broth or water with McKay's Chicken Style seasoning added to taste (I used about 2 teaspoons per cup)
• 3-4 med to large potatoes, diced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 med to large onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic or 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

Stir all ingredients together in a 6-quart crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Serve with crackers or your favorite bread.