SPINACH AND BARLEY SOUP

SPINACH AND BARLEY SOUP
I started preparing soups for dinner for the past few months ever since my husband and I started a low-carb diet. Initially I was preparing bean soups, tomato soups, and French onion soups when I started searching blogs for more soup recipes. I came across a tomato barley soup recipe from one of my fellow bloggers and that soup turned out real well. This led me to experimenting with barley soups and this is one such recipe. As usual, we had this soup with whole wheat dinner rolls and it was a hearty and filling dinner. Here goes the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
Spinach, 1 large bunch, or frozen spinach, 1 cup.
Onion, medium-sized, 1.
Canned tomatoes, ½ cup.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Barley, 1 cup.
Italian seasonings, 1 teaspoon.
Salt and pepper as per taste.
Water or chicken broth or vegetable broth, 4 cups.
Dried parsley and basil, ¼ teaspoon (optional).

PREPARATION:
Dice the onion finely and crush the garlic coarsely and keep aside. Wash the spinach thoroughly and chop it into fine pieces. Heat a pot with some olive oil and when the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are well caramelized. Then add the spinach and sauté for a few more minutes until everything is blended. Add the canned tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes and switch off the stove and let it cool. Once cooled, blend the mixture into a smooth puree and add the puree back into the pot. Add 4 cups of water or broth along with the seasonings, dried herbs, salt and pepper as per taste along with 1 cup of barley and cook under medium flame for 15-20 minutes until the barley is cooked. Ladle the soups into bowls and serve hot with any whole grain breads.