GYPSY'S VEGGIE BEEF SOUP

another recipe inspired by "More-with-Less Cookbook"

Combine in a large pot:

2-3 lbs beef soup bones

3 qrts water

1 1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 bay leaf

Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours. Remove bones, skim fat if nessessary. Cut off, chop and reserve meat. Add:

1/2 C barley

Continue cooking about 30 mins.

Add:

1C diced carrots

1C diced potatoes

1C peas or green beans

1/2C chopped onion

2C shredded cabbage

2C cooked tomatoes

herbs and seasonings to taste

reserved meat

Cook just until vegetables are tender.

I used this recipe for inspiration. 

I "gypsyfied" it to meet my tastes and to work with the ingredients I had on hand.

I found 2 lbs of beef soup bones with meat in the freezer from an earlier purchase. Some in the house are salt sensitive, so I halved the suggested amount. 1 bay leaf didn't seem like enough so next time I'll try 2. I had on hand 3 homegrown carrots for the pot, used two medium potatoes, what was left of a bag of frozen peas, a stalk of celery, half a yellow onion, half a medium cabbage and a 14.5 oz can of oregano and basil  tomatoes. I added red wine to taste and a generous splash of fire cider vinegar. I'm tempted to add a dollop of sour cream (because I have some in the fridge) to each serving bowl and some warm bread to soak up the last bit of soup.

Veggie Beef Soup for this last day of September. Enjoy!