Leftover vegetable soup

I had plenty of fresh vegetables in the fridge that I was planning on using in a salad. But for some reason the split pea soup I made two days ago had me craving more [as it is in the 80's around here, I'm sure I'm going crazy].

Anyway, I was going to write a funny post about how I just kindof put things in a pot to make this soup, but since I have to present my research tomorrow for the first time to my thesis committee, I'm just going to show you guys. Enjoy!

Split Pea Lemon Spinach Soup with carrots, parsley and barley (aka whatever-I-had in the fridge-today soup)

Combine the following in a pot and cook until the spinach is wilted and the onion is soft:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup water

10oz Spinach, chopped

1/2 large white onion - sliced into thin strips, then chopped enough so you won't get big pieces

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

10-12 baby carrots, chopped

While the vegetables are cooking add:

the juice of one lemon (two if you want it to have a stronger 'kick')

1 tsp salt

ground pepper to taste

Once your vegetables are cooked, add:

2 cups of water

1 cup of split peas

1 cup of pearled barley

[These are estimates, I didn't measure when I made this, but I will go back and edit the amounts when I've made this again. I added some more water once most of this was soaked up by the peas and barley. Add water during the cooking process until the peas and barley are cooked, and the broth is the thickness you want.]

Cover and cook until peas and barley are soft. You may need to mash the peas with a spoon to get the consistency right.