Rediscovering the Goodness of Green Pea Soup

the other day, when I was at the market and noting how grocery prices have gone up, I ambled down the aisle where the dried beans have a home. I planned to pick up a selection, which I did, but there beside the beans on the shelf were bags of yellow and green split peas.

As I checked out the prices, I was wowed by the "cheap" factor. I decided, on the spot, to load up on bags of green and yellow peas and start making more soup.

I love homemade soup anyway and have been making different soups with hearty homemade bread.

I put on a pot of green pea soup and found myself wondering why I wasn't making this more often?

As we all know splits cook into a nice thick soup. And these days, as maneuvering around our budget to fill our cupboards and our stomachs is getting more challenging, getting back into pea soup seemed like a timely idea.

Green pea soup can be made pretty much with whatever you have on hand. I made a batch with potatoes and carrots and snipped in some chives from my garden. The great thing about pea soup is that even without meat, it still has that "hearty and filling" quality.

Next time you make a grocery run, why not stock up on bags of green and yellow peas? Once you have them on hand, you can put on a pot of soup anytime you have a hankering for it.

I like to empty a bag of peas into a bowl and pour in filtered water and then stir until the water becomes cloudy. I pour this off and repeat process until the water runs clear. This is recommended on pea packets.

It's a good practice to get into the habit of rinsing your grains and peas before cooking. This removes any dust or starch and I find both rice and peas taste less "chalky."

What I like about green pea soup is that you can make it to your preference. If you are vegetarian, it is a satisfying soup on its own; if you are a meat lover you will enjoy the addition of ham or bacon.