Beef and birdseed soup

"Birdseed" may not sound too appealing, but it's a fairly accurate description of my new multi-grain blend. It makes my favourite wild rice blend (MFWRB) look like minute rice. Check out this ingredient list: whole oats, red rice, rye berries, s.g. brown rice,  hull-less barley,  black/purple barley, black china/japonica rice, brown sweet rice, carnaroli, beluga lentil, l.g. red rice, and green rice. Birdseed, no?

Now I didn't really have any particular dish in mind when I bought this - it was more, "wow, that sounds super healthy - I've gotta get me some of that". But the 2 kg bag is taking up an inordinate amount of space in my wee pantry, and I already have quite a bit of MFWRB stockpiled, so it's time to get cracking.

I made up this recipe based on what I had on hand, including the leftover roast beef that I had tucked away in the freezer. This isn't fancy, but it will be a hearty and nutritious meal to pull out on a work night.

Beef and birdseed soup

1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 c beef broth
seasonings (pepper, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes)
2 king oyster mushrooms, diced
1 1/2 c birdseed (or your favourite rice/grain blend)
hunk of roast beef, diced (about 2 c?)
whack of fresh greens, chopped (I used gai lan)
Italian parsley, chopped
miscellaneous tweaks: Worcestershire sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar

Saute the onion, carrot, and garlic in olive oil until softened, then add remaining ingredients (up to and including the beef). Simmer for 40-45 minutes or until the birdseed is cooked. (I added the gai lan stems a bit earlier.) Toss in the greens and parsley, stir for a minute or so, and tweak seasonings as necessary to achieve the desired depth/flavour in the broth.