This started by making vegetable stock from the veggie trimmings/peelings from our cooking for the previous week. Stuck them all in the crockpot with seasonings and about two quarts or so of water and cooked on high all day ... strained, put in the fridge overnight. Next morning chopped yellow onion, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, green beans, cabbage and zucchini ... then because we had them added some frozen pearl onions, chopped spinach and green peas. Added a bit more water and some salt and cooked for 6 hours in the crockpot. Right there would be good a very low carb meal, but I added a 1/2 cup of barley and a can of great northern beans to kick up the nutrition a bit and cooked for 2 more hours.
I love making soups and stews. They are always very "improvisational" and dictated by whatever is on hand. I never cook from a recipe and never more true than with soups. If it sounds good ... throw it in!
Yummy!