vegan split pea soup

i've got the food blahsies. new recipes don't excite me like they used to. the kitchen's cold and i'm tired when i get home. the last time i went food shopping was before christmas.

john on the other hand has been bringing home boxes of fruit and veggies from the produce outlet. he's been making us lots of spirulina smoothies and salads with yummy dressings. he's also been doing the dishies every day, god bless him.=)

we eat most of the produce raw, but with some of the veggies i make big batches of split pea soup. i'm motivated to make soup knowing we'll get at least three meals out of it. it's a good thing when i do go to the grocery store i stock up on nuts, grains and legumes.

i've made this soup a bunch of times, this winter and last. it's the one we turned into a dahl. a few times i used potatoes instead of turnips. it's a very forgiving soup. it's also quite tasty. sometimes i like to add grains to make it heartier. below i added leftover chinese take-out rice. whatever works.

vegan split pea soup 

1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 turnips, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 1/2 C dried split peas, green or yellow
8 C water
1 bay leaf
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

gather ingredients and prepare vegetables. in a large pot, sauté garlic and bay leaf in olive oil a minute or two. add chopped vegetables and allow to cook about five minutes. add seasonings, peas and water. bring to boil, cover and simmer until peas are tender.

the cooking time depends on your method. i soak my peas at least four hours prior and make the soup in a pressure cooker. for me the peas are done after thirty minutes or so.

after the soup has cooled a bit, puree in a food processor until smooth. serves 6-8, maybe more.