Soups
Yellow Split Pea Soup (vegan)
- It’s Fall and that means I feel like making soup every week!!! So…I might just do that 🙂
- Behold…week 1 of soup season:
I have posted a split pea soup recipe before but it used bacon and butter so I wanted to tweak it to be even more delicious while following a plant-based approach. The result is DELICIOUS!! I use my immersion blender to help give the soup a “creamy” texture and the flavors are so simple but so, so tasty…especially with a big chunk of crusty bread to dip into it!
- One day I even ate some leftovers with some steamed broccoli tossed in! Another day, I tossed in spinach! You can be creative with a soup this simple ❤
- Did I mention it is SUPER EASY to make? Well, it is! Simple, delicious, versatile, AND healthy…come on. Make this ASAP!!
- **I love the color of yellow split peas. But you can totally use green if you prefer**
- INGREDIENTS:
- •1lb of yellow split peas
- •4-5 carrots
- •2-3 stalks celery
- •1 onion
- •2Tbs garlic, minced
- •1Tbs olive oil
- •½ bag of frozen corn (NOT canned!)
- •6 cups water or veggie broth
- •Vegetable bouillon (if using water)
- •Seasonings to your liking (I just used salt & pepper)
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse your split peas thoroughly and set aside for now.
- Slice up onion, carrot, and celery and saute in olive oil until beginning to soften. +/-5-7 minutes usually does the trick. Set pan aside
- In a large stock pot, add water or broth, split peas, seasonings, bouillons (if using water), and garlic.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook on medium for 30 minutes or until peas are soft and start to fall apart.
- Add in all the veggies including the corn and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- I use my immersion blender to blend the soup about 50%. I like some chunks left but like the texture of the soup better slightly blended…makes it feel “creamier”. You can also blend the soup in batches in a standard blender. (Be sure you dont fill it too much, and just loosely hold the lid on with a towel over it to avoid a messy disaster!) BUT, you can also simply skip the blending step if you like.
- **You may need to add some additional water if you like yours “soupier”**
- Stores in the fridge for a good solid week. And freeze great too so I like to double the recipe and freeze half!!
- Eat. Enjoy. Love.
Cauliflower Bisque
Wow. This is absolutely amazing!!!!!! If you didn’t tell anybody, they would probably think this was a potato soup and never know it was actually a healthy alternative!!! And the soup itself has only about 120 calories, 9g fat, and 4g NET carbs, plus 3g protein per serving!!! The lower calories in soup leave you with the option for TOPPINGS!!!!! I put a tiny bit of cheese, bacon, and fresh parsley on mine 😀 YUM!!! And even with my toppings I still came in under 250 calories 😀 See, eating healthy, low-calorie/low-carb foods CAN be delicious!!!!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped to same-size pieces (1-2inches is fine)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2T butter
- 3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3-4 strips bacon, cooked (OPTIONAL)
TOPPING IDEAS:
- Cheese
- Bacon
- Avocado
- Spinach
- Sour Cream
- Ham/Smoked Turkey
- Chives/Green Onions
- Salsa
- I could go on and on and on and on!!!!
DIRECTIONS:
In a 3-quart saucepan, saute the onion & celery in the butter until tender. Add the chopped cauliflower, a bit of salt and pepper and the broth (enough to JUST cover the cauliflower); bring to a boil. If you choose to add them, toss in the cooked bacon strips (left whole). Turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Discard whole bacon slices (they will be soft and icky for eating now, but they added all their flavor!) Use a stick blender to puree the soup until completely smooth and thick (Or process in batches in a regular blender). Add the cream; mix well. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in the parsley and whatever other (if any) toppings you would like!!!
Makes about 5 servings
**Can be frozen**
Eat. Enjoy. Love.
Oregon.Kitchen 