2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup quick cooking barley

1 med. Red onion, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

2 tsp olive oil

1 pint sliced baby Portobello (cremini) mushrooms

2 garlic cloves minced

6 oz. fresh spinach

1 15 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil.   Stir in barley.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until barley is tender.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, saute onion, celery, and carrot in oil for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms and saute 3 minutes longer.  Stir in spinach, beans and barley, cook and stir until spinach is wilted.  Add parsley and serve.

1 cup serving has 255 calories, 3 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 532 mg sodium, 47 g carbs, 12 g. fiber, 11 g protein.