I know. I know. I know. It’s cold EVERYWHERE. I had a bunch of dried green and yellow peas in my cabinet and I’m like, let’s use them. See, I love a soup. Peas are naturally creamy. So, everything a good soup is supposed to do is accomplished with this one. Plus, when you blend it, it’s. just. so. damn. good! I mean, and can we talk about nutrients? So, I packed it with flavor – leeks, onion, garlic, peppers, carrots – and then topped it with spicy arugula, crispy onions, and a wedge of honey butter cornbread…that’s MOIST and VEGAN!
LET’S GO!
Vegan Split Pea Soup
2 cups of dried green peas
2 cups of dried yellow peas
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of diced onion
1 cup of diced bell pepper
1 cup of diced carrot
1 cup of diced leeks
10 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups of vegetable stock (keep more on hand in case the soup gets a bit dry)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried fennel seed
1 teaspoon of coriander
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of black pepper
salt, to taste
Start by sauteeing the onions, bell peppers, carrots, leeks, and garlic in olive oil until tender. Then, add in the green peas and all the rest of the ingredients. Yes, add in everything. Cook on medium high heat until the peas are tender. Check the liquid level every few minutes. If the liquid gets too low and the peas aren’t tender yet, add in either a bit of water or a little more vegetable stock.
Once the peas are tender, puree them in a blender. I used an immersion blender. Puree the soup until smooth and keep it warm while you work on the rest of the components of the dish.
Vegan Honey Butter Cornbread
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of cornmeal
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of melted vegan butter
About 1 1/2 cups of non-dairy milk (I used pea milk)
2 tablespoons of vegan butter
2 tablespoons of bee-free honey (Get it here)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, in a large bowl, just combine all of the ingredients together until smooth. I’ve noticed that some days 1 1/2 cups of non-dairy milk isn’t enough and some days it’s too much. So, start with about 1 cup and go from there. Remember, you can always add more milk to the batter – you just can’t take it away. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it into a cast iron skillet and bake until golden brown and the center is set. This should take about 20-23 minutes.
While the cornbread is baking, melt together the bee-free honey and vegan butter. Then, once the cornbread is done, pour the honey butter mixture over the cornbread and enjoy. Try and wait for it to cool off, if you can. It’ll cut easier that way!
**For the fried onions, I just seasoned them in Cajun seasoning and added a little water to them, tossed them in flour, and fried them in Canola oil until golden brown. Super easy!