Southwestern Chicken Barley Soup (Doubled) Kathy’s way for shows:

2 chopped onions                                                                         1 frozen bag mirapoix mix, 1 frozen bag chopped peppers/onions

2 cloves garlic                                                                               Used chopped garlic (2 Tbs.)

(6 cups water, with soup base as needed) (water went last, to fill crock-pot if I don’t use stock)

30 oz. corn, or 2 cans                                                                  1 medium sized bag frozen corn

30 oz. black beans, or 2 cans                                                     did not use any

30 oz. tomato sauce, or 2 cans                                                 used only 1 can

30 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained, or 2 cans                         used 4 cans, (2 had green chili’s in them, 2 diced reg.)

30 oz. chicken broth, or 2 cans                                                  used 1 large box broth

1 cup medium pearled barley                                                     add 2 cups flaked whole barley

8 oz. chopped green chilies, drained, or 2 cans                     used only one can (was hot enough!)

2 Tbs. chili powder                                                                       Same

½ tsp. cayenne                                                                              Same

2 tsp. ground cumin                                                                     Same

6 cups cubed cooked chicken                                                    used 3 pkgs. pre-packaged chicken fajita meat

1 cups fresh chopped cilantro                                                    Same

½ Lemon, squeezed                                                                     Same

Other options you could easily add:  celery, carrots, green beans, hominy, chick-peas, etc.  Leon used potatoes but I think that would be too much starch unless you put less barley in it.

Kathy’s way for Trade-Shows: Before leaving grounds for the evening:

Place into large crock-pot:  canned tomatoes, chicken stock (or soup base/water), Mirapoi mix, frozen chopped onion & pepper mix, chopped garlic, barley, green chilies, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne.  Stir.  Turn crock-pot on low.

When returning to show in the morning:

Add frozen corn, cooked chicken, cilantro, and lemon.  Stir. Adjust seasonings to taste.