Light Coconut Cream Broccoli and Barley Soup Recipe

Bring the barley and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Cover reduce heat to low and simmer until the barley is tender about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir the onion and celery into the melted butter place a cover on the pot and cook until tender about 5 minutes. Add about half the garlic. Season with the black pepper red pepper flakes sea salt and nutmeg. Return the cover to the pot and cook another 5 minutes.

Stir the broccoli vegetable stock and remaining garlic into the mixture and bring to a boil. Return the cover to the pot reduce heat to medium and cook another 15 minutes stirring once. Remove the pot from heat.

Pour the soup into a blender filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Hold the blender lid with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately you can puree the soup with a stick blender directly in the pot.

Return the soup to medium-low heat. Stir the coconut milk 2% milk and barley into the pureed soup; cover and cook until hot 5 to 8 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with Asiago cheese and parsley to serve.