Winter is the ultimate time for comforting soups and stews. I love using my slow cooker to simmer vegetables, beans and grains combined with flavorful spices. It makes the house smell divine and eases the craziness of the dinner hour, perfect for today's busy schedules when families sometimes cannot all eat together. This is the soup I created last night. I like more of a stew-like consistency, so I didn't use too much broth. Feel free to add more if you'd like - the barley and beans will absorb a pretty good amount of liquid. You can also adjust or add seasonings to your taste - experiment with what you like! 

• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 diced onion
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• Vegetable or chicken broth (2-3 cups)
• 1 small can low-salt V-8 or tomato juice
• 1 can white beans 
• 1/3 cup barley
• 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli rabe (or any other green - you can also use fresh)
• 2-3 links precooked sliced chicken sausage (I used Bilinski’s apple chardonnay)

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1. Sauté the garlic, onion, carrot and celery in a little olive oil until soft (about 5 min.)
2. Transfer to a slow cooker and add broth, juice, beans, barley and greens. 
3. Cook on high for a couple of hours until barley is cooked. 
4. Turn cooker down to low setting and add sausage. Continue cooking for another couple hours until flavors blend, then turn down to warm setting until ready to serve. 
5. Pair with some crusty bread and a nice glass of chardonnay if you'd like. Enjoy!