Easy and Free Vegetable Stock

If you are like me, you make a lot of soup in the winter.  It's such an easy way to get a lot of veggies into your body and it's warm and comforting on a cold day.  I feel pretty virtuous when I eat a bowl of sweet potato and kale soup, or split pea soup, or cabbage soup with dumplings, or any other vegetable-heavy soup.  But it wasn't until recently that I started to question the ingredients in the bouillon I was using.

I use Better Than Bouillon and Rapunzel brands the most (Rapunzel is the better choice, I think).  Between the two, you will find Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Soybean Oil, Palm Oil, and lots and lots of salt.  Maybe I'm not so virtuous eating my split pea soup if it's got these ingredients floating around in it.  Plus I think each of these bouillon brands are around $4 or $5 at the grocery store.

Well I can save my $5 for my next vacation because I now know you can make a great low sodium vegetable stock for FREE in just an hour at home.  The trick is finding a large bucket or plastic container and some freezer storage space.  Why?  Because you are going to start saving all your vegetable and herb scraps from now on (if you compost, this is nothing new to you!).  

For the past month or so, I've saved up two frozen plastic containers full of carrot, parsnip, and sweet potoato peelings, onion skins and ends, broccoli and cauliflower stems, old parsley that was starting to turn slimy, a bunch of limp celery, a few cloves of garlic starting to sprout, chard and kale stems, and fennel fronds.  If it doesn't have fuzz or mold growing on it, add it to your collection.  It's past its prime to eat fresh, but it's still got flavor left that you don't want to toss out in the trash.  I also save all my parmesan cheese rinds in a separate plastic storage bag in the freezer (that's what is in the ziploc bag in the photo above), and adding one adds a great depth of flavor to your stock.  

To make the most flavorful stock, I like to go heavy on the onion, carrots, and celery scraps, but a mixture of many vegetables is best.  Each batch will turn out a little differently depending on what you add.  For example, this batch turned out pretty dark in color, thanks to a bunch of red Swiss chard stems which leaked out their natural dye.

So here's the recipe:  put lots of veggie and herb scraps in a big pot, cover by 2 inches with water, add a parmesan cheese rind (optional), 3-4 bay leaves, a small pinch of peppercorns, and a large pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour, then let cool.  That is literally all you need to do!

Once the stock is cool, put a colander over a large bowl and line it with a kitchen towel.  Ladle the stock into the towel and pour the broth through.  Squeeze out all the liquid and discard the boiled veggies - they have fulfilled their veggie destiny and have no more flavor or use.

Pour stock into plastic containers or mason jars (make sure to leave room for expanding) and freeze until ready to use.  I use the thawed out stock to make soup, or even more often in place of water when making rice, quinoa, farro, or other whole grains to add more flavor.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Potato and Greens Gratin

TWO YEARS AGO:  Roasted Vegetable Tart

THREE YEARS AGO:  Spicy Asian Salad Dressing

Lettuce Wraps with Almond Sauce

My 16-day food experiment (in which I eliminated meat, dairy, wheat, soy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes, high GI fruits like melon and pineapple, and common allergens like peanuts) is over.  I didn't have any great epiphanies about my nutrition during this time, but most of the time I felt healthy and not deprived so I consider it a good learning experience.

The main things I learned about myself are: 1) I love bread/pitas/tortillas/crackers and really missed them, 2) I like green cucumber/celery/apple/lemon/ginger juice in the morning, and 3) I didn't miss sugar and caffeine as much as I thought I would, which tells me I was consuming too much for the amount of enjoyment it brought me.

In the beginning, I was very clumsy and unimaginative with my food planning - lots of roasted sweet potatoes with sauteed kale and beans and rice with avocado.  Now that I'm in the groove, I'm making more elaborate dinners.  This is a recipe that fits the plan, and it doesn't feel like you're missing out on anything.

This would be a great appetizer for a Superbowl party - bring the stir fried filling and a pile of lettuce wrappers and let people make their own wraps.  I brought some wraps to work for lunch and they're a little messy, so the next day I just ripped up all the lettuce and made it into a big salad to eat with a fork.

Probably the best thing here is the almond dipping sauce.  It's super easy - just blitz a few ingredients in your blender and you're done.  The flavor is outstanding and it's a thick enough consistency that it makes an awesome dip for raw carrot or celery sticks.  I'm making a second batch of this filling tonight to make more wraps because it's so tasty.  That should tell you all you need to know!

Lettuce Wraps with Almond Sauce, adapted from Meghan Telpner
Serves 4

Almond Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped (to help your blender)
1/4 cup cool water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
1/2 clove garlic, grated on microplane
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
dash cayenne
pinch kosher salt

Lettuce Wrap Filling:
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, grated on microplane
1 inch ginger, grated on microplane
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups veggies, any kind - diced fine (I've used onion, red pepper, mushroom, snap peas, broccoli slaw, cabbage, celery, green beans, and they all work great)

For wraps:
1 head iceberg lettuce, bibb lettuce, or cabbage, leaves separated
grated carrot
chopped almonds
hot sauce

First make your almond dipping sauce by blending first 9 ingredients (almonds through salt) until smooth and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the first 5 filling ingredients (soy sauce through crushed red pepper) and set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat with 1 Tbsp neutral oil (not olive oil).  Add your diced veggies and cook over screaming hot heat for 2-3 minutes or until they start to get some color and soften.  Add your reserved whisked filling mixture and cook 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.

Assemble your wraps by filling lettuce leaves with veggie mixture, garnish with carrots, almonds, and hot sauce, and dip in almond dipping sauce.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Chocolate Chickpea Cake
TWO YEARS AGO:  Mushroom Bourguignon
THREE YEARS AGO:  Split Pea Soup

Roasted Chickpeas

Let's talk about snacks.  I love 'em.  Snacks are truly my weakness - I used to be able to eat a mountain of Wheat Thins, a truck full of tortilla chips and salsa, and don't even get me started on Doritos.

Why shouldn't our snacks be good for us?  Why can't they be loaded with protein and fiber?  Oh, but they can!  Try garbanzo beans, simply roasted until crispy and crunchy.  You can't eat a whole bunch of them (like you would with processed chips) because they are beans, after all.

I know you are wondering about how they taste.  They are very reminiscent of Corn Nuts (remember those?  another high school flashback!) and they taste like whatever you spice them up with.

I've made 4 batches of Roasted Chickpeas in the last 3 days.  The first was spiced with a spice blend I had in my cupboard - African Peri Peri. My second batch was a sweet version with maple syrup and cinnamon.  And my third batch (my favorite) was simply salt and smoked sweet paprika.  Batch 4 was a repeat of Batch 3.

Possibilities are literally endless for ways to flavor these chickpeas.  The Kitchn has a bunch of ideas.  A few more that come to my mind are chili powder and lime juice, barbecue sauce, or Hidden Valley Ranch powder (it'd be like making your own Cool Ranch Corn Nuts!)

However you choose to spice your Roasted Chickpeas, just make sure you do NOT underbake them, and don't be stingy on the seasoning.  These little nuggets are highly disappointing if they don't crunch loudly.  Put them back in the oven if they're not super crunchy.  

Roasted chickpeas are to be enjoyed as a snack.  They are also a great crunchy addition to salads, or on top of this beautiful split pea soup.

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can (or 2 cups) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp spice or spice blend of your choice (paprika, cumin, rosemary, etc)

(instead of salt + spice, you could substitute maple syrup or honey and cinnamon)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking pan with tinfoil.

Use a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry your chickpeas.  Toss with oil and spices.

Bake for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven before they burn.

Let cool and enjoy.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Buffalo Cauliflower Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

TWO YEARS AGO:  Wasabi Pea Encrusted Tuna Steaks

THREE YEARS AGO:  Chocolate Peanut Granola

Florentine Eggs Benedict

Sometimes you must simply go all out and eat something truly decadent. My recent splurge occurred during brunch with Eggs Benedict accompanied by homemade hollandaise sauce, creamed spinach, and roasted portobello mushrooms (served with Smitten Kitchen's winter fruit salad and more than one mimosa).

If you are a calorie counter, then calculating the stats for dish might give you a panic attack. The hollandaise alone has twelve (yes, twelve) tablespoons of butter...not to mention the many egg yolks, and the creamy spinach spiked with a healthy handful of real parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Thankfully, I didn't have time to waste counting calories because I was too busy eating this RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS plate of food. And there is a ton of nutrition to offset the richness so you can't even feel guilty about it. Believe me when I tell you it tasted every bit as good as it looks (and maybe even better than that).

Florentine Eggs Benedict, inspired by a marriage of Giada De Laurentiis's Eggs Florentine and Ina Garten's hollandaise sauce.

2 wheat English muffins, split in half

4 poached eggs (here's how to do it)

4 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and wiped clean

12 Tbsp butter, melted and still hot

4 large egg yolks

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

10 big handsful of fresh baby spinach

freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup finely grated hard cheese such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Asiago, or Pecorino

Poach your eggs in advance and store in a bowl of ice water in the fridge until ready to serve. Before serving, reheat in simmering water for 30 seconds.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees, coat your mushrooms with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 30-40 minutes or until shriveled up and dark brown.

Make hollandaise: In a blender or food processor, put your egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Turn on the blender/processor. Slowly (very, very slowly!) start drizzling in your hot butter. It should be light yellow and thick after all butter has been added. Set aside. When ready to serve, blend again for 10 seconds with 1 Tbsp hot water.

Make creamed spinach: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sweat your onion in a couple Tbsp olive oil and/or butter with salt and pepper until soft. Add spinach in batches until wilted. Add nutmeg, cream, and cheese and cook until bubbling and reduced (about 7-8 minutes).

To assemble: start with 1/2 toasted English muffin, add roasted portobello mushroom cap, add a spoonful of creamed spinach, add reheated poached egg, and top with a spoonful of warm hollandaise.

ONE YEAR AGO: Caracas Grilled Polenta

TWO YEARS AGO: Split Pea Soup

Butternut Chipotle Soup

I can't pretend it's late summer anymore. The trees are yellow, red, and orange. It's time for my tiny hometown's scavenger hunt. And I can't stop eating squash. All are the true signs of fall.

The scavenger hunt is tonight. It's a quaint tradition that is so fun. No matter how many years I live in the big city I will love small town quirks like this. We pile into a car and race other cars to clues, running around in the dark with flashlights. It's a hoot! Can't wait.

Pre-hunt fuel must be full of veggies and this soup is a great way to consume a ton of healthy nutrients. This soup is similar in method to my split pea soup (only 3 basic ingredients - onion, stock, split peas!) but with a kick of added chipotles, inspired by this recipe. I added a swirl of plain yogurt to cool down the heat of the chipotle and it was needed.

Because my disdain for pureed soups is well-documented, I'm sure you understand why I needed a hearty sandwich along side this soup for dipping. Seriously, as long as I have teeth in working order I just can't eat an all-mush meal. So I made this yummy fall-tasting Fontina, Pear, and Arugula Panini with a big slathering of dijon mustard. To the trees!! (inside joke for my fellow scavengers).

Butternut Chipotle Soup

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 large roasted butternut squash (about 3-4 cups of squash)

1 teaspoon chipotle sauce, or 1 whole chipotle if you can take the heat!

plain yogurt (can substitute sour cream or creme fraiche)

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, sweat your onion in olive oil and/or butter with salt and pepper until soft (about 5 minutes). Add stock and squash and chipotle sauce. I just used the liquid in the can, not an actual chipotle - but do what you want based on your spice tolerance.

Simmer 15 minutes. In small batches, blend in blender until thick and creamy. Serve super hot with swirls of plain yogurt.

ONE YEAR AGO: Apple Crisp

Mushroom Bourguignon

I bought something today.

It's something very exciting.

I have wanted, no COVETED, this thing for years. It's been taunting me from the Kitchen Window in Calhoun Square. And now that they've renovated and expanded the store, they've put this thing right in the window facing Hennepin Avenue so it mocks me as I drive or walk by. Thanks in part to generous gift cards from Nick and Kim for my bday and xmas, today was the day I was able to take this BEAUTIFUL thing home with me.

It's a Le Creuset, cherry red, 7.25 quart, round casserole/oven. I don't have kids, but I imagine this is what it feels like to want to show off a new baby. I hope that when I do have kids I will like them as much as I like this piece of kitchenware. Isn't it gorgeous?

Want to see inside? Me too.

The saleslady told me this was a belonging that would be loved so much that it will be an important item in my will that my loved ones will fight over.

This fine piece of French cookware deserved to be inaugurated with a proper French meal and Cassandra has been after me to try a vegetarian Boeuf Bourguignon ever since she saw Julie & Julia. Hey Cass, now I've tested it and I'm ready to cook it for you in your new kitchen next time I come to NYC!

I found the recipe (once again - no surprise!) on my favorite website, the Smitten Kitchen. I followed the instructions exactly so I won't post them here. A tiny exception - I didn't have sour cream for the finishing touch but I did have creme fraiche instead - which was even better.

The final dish tasted amazing - I'm convinced that's due to the pot it was cooked in! My meals are going to be SO MUCH better from now on!!! Only difference I will make when eating the leftovers - nix the egg noodles and just serve the yummy mushrooms and reduced wine-y tomato-y sauce over a hunk of ridiculous Rustica bakery bread.

Oui.

ONE YEAR AGO: Split Pea Soup

Top Ten of Green and Lean '09

I love year end countdown lists! So, it’s only fair that I provide my own retrospective on my year-long blog challenge. Back in January, I started this blog as a diary that I could use for my own inspiration and motivation to eat healthier. I kept the web address “hidden” from search engines and didn’t tell anyone about it for quite awhile. But, I cracked and told Cassandra about it so we’d have things to share over the distance of MN to NY. She was so encouraging about this silly blog that I slowly started letting others read my posts. I was a little scared and embarrassed that my brainless musings would be available to the world on the Internet, but I’ve had such positive feedback that I’ve gotten over it.

Thank you to every one of you who has read any of these posts over the past year. Special thanks to those of you who have left a comment! You have no idea how energizing it is when there are comments on my posts! And a million zillion thank yous if you were inspired by any of my posts and went to your kitchen to make something green and lean of your own!

I will spare you a lot of talk about the benefits of eating real and unprocessed food (if you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ve heard it all before anyways!). I will, however, say that in the past year I have lost a significant amount of weight, lowered my glucose and blood pressure, and increased my “good” cholesterol. These improvements in my health have not come by depriving myself. In fact, I’ve eaten more delicious food in the past year than I ever have in my life.

I don’t know how much I will continue to blog in 2010. I do enjoy trying new recipes so there may be a new post from time to time. Perhaps the blog will evolve into something new. Who knows? All I know for sure is that I will continue the healthy habits I started in 2009.

To get 2010 started on an inspirational note, here are my top ten favorite posts of 2009:

10. Mustard Dill Fish – a simple and elegant main dish perfect for entertaining. Another great fish entrée is Salmon with Smashed Peas.

9. Hippie Chow – a complete meal made a million different ways. See also the Mexi-version.

8. Fish Tacos – my favorite summertime meal to serve to a crowd

7. Roasted Mushroom and Tomato Sandwich with Goat Cheese – I just discovered this incredible combination of ingredients and I can’t get enough. It’s also fabulous on pizza or salad.

6. Seared Tuna Salad with Spicy Asian Dressing – the dressing is amazing and would work on a simple cabbage salad, or with canned tuna, or even grilled chicken.

5. Split Pea Soup – probably the cheapest recipe on the blog and still one of my favorite winter lunches. Very filling and super healthy!

4. Egg Baked in a Tomato – one of my fancier posts. It’s deceptively simple but looks so impressive!

3. Olive Oil Granola – a great way to start your day with whole grains. I also recommend these other breakfast recipes: Yogurt, Larabars, Oatmeal, and Chocolate Peanut Granola.

2. Grilled Vegetable Frittata – I love frittatas so much, I posted about them three times! Check out versions 1 and 2 also.

1. Kale and Egg on Toast – it was my first post and continues to be my absolute favorite meal of all time (preferably accompanied by red wine and followed by dark chocolate). I could happily eat this a few times a week for the rest of my life.

Thanks again for following my 2009 real food challenge! I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2010!

More Vegetable Than Egg Frittata

Eleven months of blogging down, one to go! And this one is proving to be tough. There isn't a whole lot of culinary inspiration in fresh local veggies right now, and all the food magazines, tv shows, and websites are focusing on holiday cookies.

So, I have been eating a bunch of frozen leftovers - soups, squash, roasted tomatoes, etc. Tonight I roasted a bunch of veggies including beets to make Beet and Goat Cheese Salads for lunches this week. And I'll be making Split Pea Soup again tomorrow to satisfy a craving. These are not blog-worthy meals anymore...been there, done that! So I'm apologizing in advance if December is a bit light on blog posts. If any readers out there have inspiration for me, please send ideas my way! Either I'm winding down on this blog, or it's just another temporary dip on the ups and downs of cooking ideas.

I had my mom in town this weekend for our annual holiday show. We saw In The Heights and enjoyed it! And we ate out a lot. At non-healthy "restaurants" (using that term loosely here) where it is impossible to get anything green other than a wilty piece of lettuce on a burger. So tonight it was time to pack in the veggies and I took a page out of Mark Bittman's book for the More Vegetable Than Egg Frittata.

Usually when I make frittatas, I use 4-6 eggs for a pan this size. This one has only 2 eggs plus 1 egg white and a splash of water. And I think it would serve 3-4 hungry people.

First I roasted broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, and mushrooms in a 450 degree oven until browned. Then I sauteed a half a yellow onion and a bunch of kale in a nonstick skillet. Add a TON of the roasted veggies to the skillet with the kale and onion. Then add your egg and water mixture, salt and pepper. Then I topped it with a little bit of finely shredded sharp Wisconsin cheddar cheese. Cook on stovetop until the eggs start to set then put in a hot oven to finish cooking and brown the cheese.

Shown here with the frittata is that effing delicious and amazing White Salad that is quickly becoming my favorite side dish.

Spring Pea Soup

Ever since I discovered the deliciousness of split pea soup in January, it has been a part of my regular dinner rotation. I'm sure I've made it at least 5 times since then and it continues to make me very happy on workdays when I heat it up for lunch.

The problem is that split pea soup, in all its earthy-hearty goodness, is very much a cold weather soup. Spring pea soup, however, is a great spring and summer alternative and is perfect eaten warm, at room temperature, or even chilled. And it allows me to use English peas, which I have been daydreaming about for weeks.

About two months ago, I was thinking about spring veggies I can cook with to make dishes worthy of posting on this blog. Suddenly I was struck with a memory from at least 20 years ago, and it was as clear as a bell in my mind. Here it is: I remember sitting in the screened-in porch at our lake cabin with my Grandma Edith. One bowl full of fat green pods was on the table, another nearly empty bowl in my lap into which I'm shelling English peas for dinner. I'm sure I ate just as many of those tiny pearls as made it to dinner. This memory makes me very happy and it makes me miss my Grandma, who died when I was 11.

So, ever since that memory first popped into my brain, I've been obsessed with finding English peas this summer. And of course, they've been nearly impossible to find. Farmer's Markets? Nope. Grocery stores? Nope. Finally...today at Whole Foods, success!

I spent a good chunk of time shelling the pods (not quite as fun as I remember!) and I ended up with barely a cup of peas. Oh well, it was enough to make one serving of delicious soup. Warning: spring pea soup tastes NOTHING like split pea soup. Other than a smooth texture and a green color, the flavors are completely different...as different as winter and summer.

Spring Pea Soup

1 small yellow onion, diced

Freshly shelled English peas (or frozen green peas)

Vegetable stock

Saute the onion in olive oil, add the peas and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add some stock and bring to a boil. Cool and puree.

The best part of this soup was the addition of some creme fraiche that was leftover from making Bouchon au Thon. The tart creaminess of the creme fraiche added a complexity to the flavors that made the soup very savory.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Green Beans with Almonds and Lentil Soup

I started tonight's dinner with an epic FAIL! You know how when you start to get a big head about something, like thinking you know what you're doing in the kitchen? That's when you screw up badly enough to bring your ego crashing back down to earth. Clearly, I am cursed when it comes to lentils (I mentioned in February a gross lentil/kale/tomato soup I tried to make).


All during my ride home from work and my walk around Lake Hiawatha, I was looking forward to making this lentil salad recipe from Mark Bittman. When I got home, I realized the only lentils I had were orange, and not the little green French kind. Oh well, lentils are lentils, right? WRONG! I threw the lentils in some water with some bay leaves and salt, brought them to a boil, then simmered. Orange lentils do not need to simmer for 40 minutes like French lentils, and in fact they fall apart completely after about 20 minutes. When I checked on them, they were pure mush. I should have known this from my Mpls Community Ed Indian cooking class but the brain wasn't working.


I was able to salvage these lentils, though (because I can't stand to throw away food) by adding a couple vegetarian boullion cubes and it turned into a nice almost creamy orange soup, not unlike my yummy split pea soup (which I have made about 4 times since I posted about it).



To go with my last minute lentil soup, I made green beans with almonds, which was on Rachel Ray yesterday. I didn't want to use the canned fried onions though, so this is how I did it.


Green Beans and Almonds
Fresh green beans
Handful almonds
1 shallot
1 Tbsp butter


Blanch the green beans in 1 inch boiling salted water. Drain and set beans aside. In skillet, melt butter, add almonds and diced shallot and cook until almonds are toasted and shallot is softened. Add back the green beans and season with salt and pepper.

PS - I tried that egg baked in a tomato thing again...overcooked again! Will keep trying until I get it right. A very delicious assignment.

Split Pea Soup

Oh my goodness gracious. I have just fallen in love with split pea soup. I'd never had it before and it has a horrible reputation (i.e. The Exorcist). But for some strange reason I had a mad urge to eat it today. Now I firmly believe and will rely heavly on my female intuition because this was one of the best ideas I've had in a long time.

The soup honestly is perfect: three ingredients, lots of nutrition, delicious, and it probably cost me less than $2 to make the whole pot. The taste of this soup literally stopped me in my tracks. First, I couldn't believe how silky the texture was. Also, the flavor was surprisingly complex for the few ingredients. And just two ladels-full was incredibly filling.

Start by sweating a small yellow onion in some olive oil with salt until soft.

Rinse one cup of split peas and add to the onions.

Then add 3 cups of water and 1 veggie boullion cube (or straight water, or veg stock). Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove half the soup and blend, then mix back in with the other half. Finish it off with salt and pepper to taste.

The beautiful green bowl of goodness would be perfect if you ended there. But maybe you have a weird compulsion that you can't have a meal consist of only one color. If that's the case, you can add a lovely poached egg and grated parmesan cheese. It might be the perfect winter supper.

I did have a lengthy internal debate about white vs. red wine with this dish. As you can see, I went white and it was a nice pairing. Something about the hot soup with the chilled wine - it worked.

PS - I got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but I halved it because I'm getting smarter in my old age and I finally realized I don't have to cook for an army. And I just now realized I forgot the lemon juice that the original recipe called for. Oops, I guess it didn't bother me too much.

Split Pea Soup w/ Poached Egg

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup green split peas, rinsed

3 cups water

1 veggie boullion cube

Sweat the onion and salt in olive oil until soft.

Add split peas, water, and boullion cube and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Blend half the mixture and then mix all of it together.

Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Top with poached egg, grated parm, and serve with grilled bread and wine.