Recipe: Split Pea Soup

I'll admit, my kids are still trying to get used to split pea soup but we eat it occasionally anyway. Mainly because both my husband and I quite enjoy it.

We love sitting down to a thick and smooth soup with a side of home made bread slathered with sweetened raw butter on a cold night.

Here's the recipe:

Split Pea Soup

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 clove smashed and chopped garlic (optional)

2 cups split peas

8 (or more) cups filtered water

1 1/2 tsps sea salt

Cook onion, carrots, celery and garlic until onion is tender. Stir in peas, water and salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for close to an hour, stirring frequently and adding water if necessary.

Puree with a food blender and serve.

*This recipe also works in the crock pot. Simply place all the ingredients in the crock pot (omitting the olive oil) turn the temp. on to high for 30 minutes. Then adjust the temperature to a low setting and allow to cook for 6+ hours. Blend up until nice and smooth and serve!

A healthier version of this recipe can be obtained by using whole peas and sprouting them overnight...which is something I'll have to try out sometime soon.

Photo taken from http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=7213440