Super Split Pea Soup

I got a nice size Amazon gift certificate for Christmas and used it to pick up some cookbooks I’ve been eyeing.  One of them was “Straight Up Food” by Cathy Fisher which features plant based recipes using no sugar, oil, or salt.  Very healthy!

I’m working my way through the soup chapter and the first recipe I prepared was a Split Pea and Yam Soup. It was an easy one pot meal that got the thumb’s up from my hubby. He and I both enjoy thick, hearty soups and this one did not disappoint us.  It’s filling!

I followed the steps exactly as written but I did make some changes to the ingredients; substituting my home prepared vegetable broth for the water and kale for Swiss chard.  I also added a generous grind of fresh black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to the spice mixture.

The soup starts with dried split peas that get some pre-cooking before adding additional ingredients.

Once the peas have cooked for a bit you throw in the vegetables and spices. Yes, I did add a touch of salt by using celery salt instead of ground celery seed.  It was still far less than would be present in a commercial, canned soup.

After the vegetables and spices go in the soup cooks for an additional 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are tender.

During that time I chopped a big pile of kale. I sometimes buy the pre chopped bag but still go through and remove all of the tough stems. Here’s the bag I can find at my local grocery store and you can see those pesky stems!

The kale got added in the last 10 minutes and cooked just long enough to soften.  It always amazes me how many greens you can melt into a big pot of soup. When the weather is cold and chilled salads are not appealing this is one way to ensure that you get your leafy greens!

Here’s the before and after shot of the greens stage:

Homemade soups are easy and so much healthier than what you buy in the can.  I hope you’ll give this one a try.

Here is the recipe as I prepared it.

Ingredients:

1. 8 cups low sodium or no salt added vegetable broth

2. 1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped

3. 1 medium sweet potato, chopped

4. 1 medium yellow potato, chopped

5. 2 ribs celery, sliced crosswise about 1/4 inches wide

6. 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

7. 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

8. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

9. 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

10. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

11. Freshly ground black pepper to taste

12. 5-6 cups coarsely chopped fresh kale

Preparation:

Add dried split peas and broth to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the onions, potatoes, celery, and spices.  Return to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are softened.  In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale.

If you try this recipe please let me know what you think.