Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup

Today the weather actually got cold—it was 25F when I woke up around 8:30 this morning.  Very nice!  So I pulled out the cold weather food, finally.  Tonight we ate split pea soup with toasted ciabatta bread.  It was just the thing to warm everyone up.

Here is the recipe:

1 pound of dried split green peas
8 cups of water
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, diced
1 or 2 carrots sliced into rounds
1 spoonful of diced garlic (I use the kind in a jar)

Put everything into a pressure cooker, bring to pressure, and cook for 10 minutes.  Or use a pot on the stove top and cook for 1 hour.  A crock pot will work too, but cook for 2-3 hours on high.  (Every crock pot is different, so you will need to check on occasion to see how it is doing.  My old one would have cooked all day on low and the beans would have been perfect, but my new one would have boiled off the water and ruined the dinner if I cooked it for that long on low.)

After the beans are done and soft, add 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke for that ham flavor.  Salt and pepper to taste and then serve.

Keep warm!

Potatoes and Mushrooms

Mmmmm—breakfast!  Or brunch.  I got up late this morning and decided to have leftovers from last night.  I cut up cold, boiled red potatoes, a few white button mushrooms, and added sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cooked until hot in about 1/3 cup water.  I did throw a few shredded parsley leaves on top to make it look better.

This is so simple, but so very good.  The more I eat whole foods, plant-based foods, the more I find myself looking forward to foods like my leftover breakfast here.

Food Penpal Reveal Nov. 2012

Last month I signed up for Foodie Pen Pals, a food box swap, through Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean.  Each person who signs up gets assigned to send a box of foodie items to another person.  The items should cost no more than $15 and can include homemade things, gourmet, or just great local stuff.  I sent mine to Emily in Seattle and received a terrific box from Alli in Seattle.  Turns out they are neighbors and collaborated on my box.  No wonder it was so good!

The first picture shows everything laid out in front of the box.  The first item was Strawberry Pepper jam that Alli got at the Market in Seattle.  We cut slices of fresh baguette and ate the entire jar!  This jam is one of my top two now—so good.  The jam had a little hint of hot peppers in it, but was mild enough that my heat-hating family loved it.  Thanks, Alli!

I got several bags of Cinnamon Orange Tea, also from the Market.  I have not tried these yet, but have them at work to try, well, if the weather ever cools down.  She included honey stir sticks to go with the tea; I just love honey.

My family and I love this next item, Space Noodles.  The pasta shapes are just like the Space Needle in Seattle!  It isn’t just pretty to look at, it tasted good with homemade marinara sauce on top.

If you are interested in joining the Foodie Swap for January, go to The Lean Green Bean and sign up.

My teenagers and I enjoyed the anticipation of receiving the box.  The oldest is getting ready to head off to college soon and is saying that we need to get her on the list for a box.

The best part of the Foodie Box was the postcard of Seattle featuring the Space Needle.  What a beautiful city!

Have a great weekend, everyone!