spilt pea soup

a few months ago i headed out to run some errands in my brooklyn neighborhood, fort greene. i realized midway through my list of things to do, that i was super hungry and cold! i decided to walk over to the only vegan bakery around for a warm bowl of soup. i was hoping they’d have a hearty lentil or split pea. i stood in line for 10 minutes & when i finally go to the counter the girl told me they did not have any more soup! i was set on having soup & nothing else sounded good–even though their baked goods are delicious!

as i was walking back towards my apartment, i somehow decided i’d just have to go home & make it myself. i stopped at 3 markets along the way to get all the ingredients i needed, which really wasn’t that much…that’s just how it goes around here especially if you’re looking for organic produce! hours later, i sat down to eat the most delicious split pea soup i have ever tasted. that said, i haven’t had that many bowls of split pea soup and at this point i was starving! but, still it was damn good! unfortunately, i did not write down the ingredients i used or proportions or anything. this is why i need a blog! so, i decided to recreate the split pea soup with a few modifications(listed below) mainly because of my sugar/white carb cleanse.

split pea soup

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned & sliced
2 cups green split peas, rinsed
1 large or 2 small red potatoes, diced*
2 carrots, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste-i like it spicy
4 cups vegetable stock or water, or a combo of both
sea salt & black pepper to taste
tempeh bacon, baked until crisp**
olive oil
lemon

• combine split peas, potatoes, onion, leeks, garlic, carrots, paprika and cayenne in a large soup pot.
• cover with water, vegetable stock or a combination of both.
• bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes or until peas are soft. add a little water/stock if it starts to get too dry or starts to stick to the pot.
• blend half to all of the soup depending on your desired consistency. i ended up blending it all until smooth.
• return to the soup pot and season with sea salt and black pepper, adding more cayenne and/or paprika if needed.
• garnish with lemon juice, olive oil and tempeh bacon.

and voila! soup:

just kidding! that’s don pablo, the 3-legged wonder kitty. he’s a big fan of that blue soup pot. i keep thinking he’s going to outgrow it soon but he still squeezes in there. i think it’s his consolation for not always being able to make the jump to the window sill. more on him some other time, now back to soup stuff…

*i used the  potatoes the first time, but omitted them for the second version. the potatoes add a delightful creamy texture but doesn’t change the taste. if you are avoiding a carb overload, you could replace the potatoes with turnips or cauliflower(yum! cauliflower!).
**i rarely cook with tempeh and it is a completely optional ingredient in this recipe. in fact, when i initially made the soup, it was the first time purchasing tempeh bacon. i usually avoid any processed foods, especially at home. that said, it adds great texture & depth to this soup & i recommend trying it…but i garnished with fresh thyme the second time around & that was yummy, too!

in case you were wondering what running errands in my world looks like, here’s a beautiful video made by soul of brooklyn, a group/initiative created by mocada. that’s my block at 0:13, right when the narrator says “these tree lined blocks”. can’t wait til there’s leaves on those trees!!