Vegetable Barley Soup

1/2 cup barley
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 tb olive oil
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen or canned corn (or fresh in season)
a couple sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
8 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste.

I used a rice cooker for the barley. It was super easy. But if you don't have a rice cooker, follow the instructions on the package. I just used water, but if you had extra stock, you could certainly use that too.

Parboil the potato until it's almost cooked. Set aside.

In a heavy bottom pot, saute the next six ingredients in the oil. When the carrots are almost cooked, add potatoes, peas, corn, thyme and bay leaves. Pour stock over the whole mixture. Bring to a boil, then simmer until everything is fully cooked. Stir in the cooked barley. Season to taste.

Remove the thyme and bay leaves before serving. This soup is best a couple days later.