2 cups dry quinoa or barley
5 cups water or chicken broth
2 cups meat: diced ham, shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage
1 tbsp oil, for sautéing
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped,
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic (or 2 tsp. galric powder)
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp (or less) ground cayenne pepper
Place barley or quinoa in large pot with water or broth over medium heat.
Saute meat in oil if uncooked. Remove from pan and saute onions, celery, peppers, and garlic.
Combine all ingrediets with barley/or quinoa. Turn up heat to bring to boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat. Stir occassionally. Continue to simmer 30-40 minutes. Add more liquid (water, broth or tomato sauce) if all the water disappears before the mixture turns "saucy". Remove bay leaves before serving.
