Seaweed Agogo Kidney Bean, Tomato & Barley Soup

A fantastic recipe from Marlene Watson-Tara. Marlene's work focuses on food, nutrition and the effect it has on our bodies and our planet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked barley
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 small leeks, very thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. Seaweed Agogo Kombu
• 1 large tomato quartered
• 2 large carrots
• 2 large stalks celery
• 2 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1 sachet umami instant stock dissolved in 3 cups of hot water

Method

Soak the dried mushrooms in one cup of warm water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, slice the caps thinly and discard the stems. In a soup pot, warm a splash or two of water and add the garlic, leeks and the Seaweed Agogo seasoning. Let sweat for five minutes.  Add the tomato and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot, celery, kidney beans and reconstituted mushrooms along with the soaking water and the stock. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low simmer for 25 minutes. Take two cups of the soup and blend to a cream and then add back to the pot. Stir in the cooked barley and garnish with fresh parsley.

Note: True to their name, these popular beans are kidney shaped and are especially nourishing to our kidneys. They are super in simmered dishes where they absorb the flavours of seasonings and the other foods with which they are cooked. Kidney beans paired with my favourite sea vegetable Kombu, from Seaweed Agogo packs a powerful punch into this mighty bowl of goodness.