chicken, barley, & wild rice soup

Ingredients For chicken, barley, & wild rice soup

• 1

  chicken, cooked and de-boned, or 4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (save the broth! it goes in here too!)
• 1

  large red onion, diced
• 4

  ribs celery, diced
• 1/2

  bag matchstick carrots, or 2 carrots thinly sliced (or more if you want ‘em!)
• 1/2 c

  frozen collard greens (or 1 cup fresh)...or you could use spinach
• 1

  garlic clove, minced
• 1

  red potato, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4

  c. minced parsley or 3 t. dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp

  extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp

  “better than bouillon” chicken base (i use it instead of regular bouillon because it has no msg)
• 1

  15-oz. can chicken broth or the defatted/strained broth from the cooked chicken
• 1/2

  of a 14-oz can diced tomatoes (just enough to add a touch of color)
• 1 qt

  water
• 1/2 tsp

  red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp

  mrs. dash
• 1 Tbsp

  onion powder
• 1/2 tsp

  thyme, dried
• 1/2 tsp

  crushed rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 c

  pearl barley, uncooked
• 1/2 c

  wild rice, uncooked
• 1/2 c

  frozen peas
• 1/2

  of a 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
• 1/2

  of a 15-oz. can great northern or white kidney (cannelini) beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
• 1/2

  of a 15-oz. can red beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
• 1 bunch

  green onions w/tops, chopped
• 1 pkg

  real bacon pieces (the salad topping type)
• (note: i usually dump the other half of the tomatoes and the beans into a freezer bag and save for a future batch)