Curried Split Pea and Vegetable Soup

bespatter

I love split peas, they're hearty and filling, and they definitely DON'T taste like the green peas you buy in a can. This soup would be excellent with some Indian bread and unsweetened, plain soy- or dairy yogurt dolloped on top! It's also one of those foods that tastes better as it sits, so love on those leftovers!

In case you are curious, this soup makes about four, one-cup servings. Per serving, this soup has (when prepared according to the recipe) 0.5 grams of fat, 8.5 grams of protein, 8.3 grams of fiber, 59.3% of your daily Vitamin A, and about 9.5% each your daily Vitamin C and iron.

1/2 c. dried split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 large carrots, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 stalks celery, chopped (may use less) with their leaves (about 2 cups)
1 Tb. minced garlic
1 Tb. of your favorite curry powder (I use regular ol' McCormacks)
1/4 tsp. fennel seed
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/2 Tb. dried cilantro
Vegetable broth
Sea salt and white pepper, to taste

1. After rinsing peas, cover them in water and bring them to a boil. Cover, and let them boil on high heat for three minutes. Remove any foam that comes to the surface. Turn off the heat then allow them to sit, covered, for one hour.

2. After the peas have soaked, drain them and give them new water, enough to cover them, plus about 1/2-3/4 an inch extra. Add the diced sweet potatoes to the pea pot and set aside

3. Meanwhile, over medium-high heat in a skillet sprayed with some nonstick, saute the chopped carrot, onion, and celery until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, fennel seed (crush it between your fingers as you add it to the skillet), turmeric, and chopped celery leaves. Saute everything another 1-2 minutes or until nice and fragrant. Add the sauteed veggies to the pea pot.

4. To the pea pot, add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth (or water) and the dried cilantro. You can use fresh but I use dried since I can't ever use it up fast enough. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until both the vegetables and peas are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I have lots more recipes at www.sharetheveganlove.blogspot.com if you're interested. Have a great day!

ShellyMacchi

yum! sounds delicious!