Beef Mushroom Barley Soup/Stew

Beef Mushroom Barley Soup/Stew
From: tarragon918

1 lb, more or less, stew beef--I cut it into bite-sized pieces; dredged in flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb button mushrooms, chopped
2 cups of beef broth (I use the no sodium bouillon packages)
chopped carrots, green beans, more onion (if desired)
1/2 to 1 cup of medium or pearl barley
spice as desired - I use Mrs. Dash salt-free lemon pepper and table blend

Saute the onion and mushrooms until translucent (I just use a bit of olive oil spray); set them aside. Note: you can add chopped celery to this if you like celery

Next, brown the stew meat until it's seared; add a bit of the broth to the pot to make a little gravy, then begin putting the meat into the crock pot. Add the onions and mushrooms (and celery) next, followed by the broth/boullion. If you do add fresh chopped veggies, layer them on the bottom, before you put the meat in.

Turn crock pot on to low and let cook for 4 or so hours, then add the barley. Cook another 2-3 hours. This makes a nice, hearty soup that is really more of a stew. I've tried several different types of barley; the medium barley works best for me--it's more substantial than the pearl.

Dang, now I wish that I had made it, my tummy is grumbling at me! LOL BTW, I tweak this recipe every time I make it, so anyone else making it might want to experiment with it a bit to their own tastes as well.