Minestrone Style Veggie Sausage Soup (Veg*n)

Warm the olive oil over medium heat, once warm add the onion and let it sweat for about 5 minutes (watch it doesn't burn).

Stir in the tomato paste as best you can and let that sizzle more a few minutes, then add in the garlic.

Let that cook a few minutes while you chop up the 'sausage', then add it in along with the bay leaf, basil and parsley. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes then mix in the 1/2 cup of water, stir well. Leave that while you get the rest of the ingredients together.

Add in the carrot then turn the heat up and stir in the broth. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add in the orzo and barley. Stir well, reduce heat and allow to simmer over medium low heat for about 35 minutes. Stir from time to time as barley and orzo are prone to sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Adjust seasoning and add peas and corn about 25 minutes into the simmering. Once the barley is cooked through the soup is done. You may want to add more broth, it gets quite thick, especially if you leave it to cook a lot longer.