I Can't Believe It's Not Bacon: Split Pea Soup

Yeah, yeah, yeah- my picture of this soup may be subpar... but I can assure you the soup is not! It all started Tuesday when a friend and I traded lunches after class. I brought her some green curry and she brought me some split pea soup. I warned her before taking a bite: I'm not a fan of the split pea... But then something magical happened. Spoon to mouth I instantly fell in love. It was incredible! I kept saying "How?! It tastes like its been cooking for days in bacon fat, it's so meaty and delicious!". This is definitely the soup you make for the carnivores, just don't tell them it's vegan until after they have a bite- they won't believe you! Oh, and it gets better: it's a crock pot recipe!!

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 medium to large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
7 cups vegetable broth
1 pound split peas, picked through and rinsed 
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (I used hickory) 

In a pan add the olive oil, once hot add the diced onion, carrot, and celery, saute for five minutes. Add your sauteed veggies to the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients, except for the liquid smoke. Cook on low for 8 hours (turn it on before work and wah-la, dinner awaits when you get home) or cook on high for four hours. Turn off the crock pot and stir in the liquid smoke and salt to taste; serve up!

Makes roughly 8 serves and freezes excellently

Recipe adapted from Fresh From the Vegan Slower Cooker by Robin Robertson

Green Curry: the cheating way

I made this green curry when I was in a hurry and in a pinch. It's totally cheating because I had green curry paste on hand, I did not make the paste from scratch. The good news is it is that much easier to make.

12 new (baby) potatoes
1 tomato
1 green pepper
2 yellow peppers
1 small head broccoli
2 small boxes baby portobella mushrooms, quartered
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
3-4 tablespoons green curry paste, found in the Asian aisle at any supermarket

Cut the potatoes into wedges, then steam them until they're tender. Wash your rice thoroughly, then place it in a small pot with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and pop a lid on it- cook for 20 minutes, then set aside. While your rice and potatoes are cooking: cut the broccoli into florets and saute until al-dente, set aside in a large bowl.  Next saute the mushrooms until tender, then add them to the bowl along with the broccoli. Do the same with the peppers, make sure you don't over saute them, you want them to have a nice bite to them still. Add all sauted veggies plus the steamed potatoes into a stock pot, pour in the coconut milk and add the green curry paste, simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper, you may even want to add some more curry paste if you prefer a stronger flavor. Spoon curry over rice and serve.

Makes roughly 6-8 portions