Friday, September 3, 2010

Soup's On

There has been a shift and it happened in a single evening. The air has become cool, the clouds are darker and heavier only allowing the sky blue to poke through intermittently and the lake has changed from the turquoise blues and heavenly greens of summer to dark blue with a thin black line as the horizon. Today I can not look out my window and fool myself into thinking I am looking at the ocean. It is Lake Michigan and she is saying “fall is near”.




Split Pea Soup



2 c. split green peas, picked through and rinsed
3 c. chopped onion
4 c. filtered water
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 cube vegan bouillon
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft on medium heat, about 4 minutes. Add the peas and water and stir well. Add the garlic powder, onion powder and vegan bouillon and simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat or until peas are tender. If the soup starts to boil, turn down the heat and continue to simmer.

Once the peas are tender remove from heat and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Take half of the soup, including most of the liquid and puree in a blender. Add back the puree to the chunky soup. You can add more sea salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika.

Enjoy!

Notes: Rapunzel Bouillon is the best. You can purchase at Whole Foods or other health food stores. I prefer the herb without salt. It is completely vegan and delicious.

Remember to hold the lid of the blender in place with a hot pad or kitchen towel when blending a hot liquid. I learned the hard way!

If you want to add a little something extra to the soup, a couple drops of red wine vinegar per serving really adds to the flavor – just a couple of drops. You could also use a little lemon juice.

Yields approximately 4 cups of soup.