Slow Ride

So, I told my husband that I was starting a blog, and he rolled his eyes. Yeah, it's a bit silly & self-indulgent. I get it. However, I really wanted a place to share my "journey" as a mother and my thoughts/ideas/recipes related to veganism and, well, food in general. So, I'll start with a bang! Here's a go-to recipe I can't live without. It's made in a slow cooker. I love my slow cooker. I dream of my slow cooker. I sometimes can be found hugging it.  My late grandmother (The Official Posthumous Queen of the Kitchen) gave it to me as a wedding present over seven years ago. Slow Cooker has seen better days; she's lost her handles, her lid no longer fits properly, and she's got more stains in and on her that my carpet. Yet, she still serves up delectable meal after delectable meal. I joke that you can throw a boot in her and she present a  fabulous dish in mere hours. But I digress...

Grandma Jennie's Split Pea Soup (Minus the Ham Bone & Italian-Catholic Guilt)

Throw the  following ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, stir, set to low and be eating soup by dinnertime:

3 cups dry split peas
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 dry bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 3 t fresh)
salt & pepper to taste (I usually add about 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 tablespoon pepper and adjust before serving, if necessary)
8 cups vegetable broth or water

Note: I always use organic ingredients whenever possible. We are not a 100% organic family, but we are close. I almost always buy organic meat. eggs and dairy products (my husband and kids aren't vegan...a topic for another post!) You know what, though, use whatcha got, I say. Even buying one organic ingredient is better than none in my book. I do not, however, condone or endorse cooking with sub par items such as imitation vanilla extract or "Parmesan" in that horrid green can. Using such rubbish is a sin and - in my book - is punishable by firing squad. Hey, I'm just sayin'...

Second Note: If you wanna add the ham bone (or diced ham in a pinch), I ain't gonna lie to you, it's gonna take the taste level up about 100 notches. It's a great use for the leftover ham bone after a big holiday dinner. But, alas, it will not be vegan. Also, it will be a lot more expensive, a lot less healthy, and a lot more inconvenient hunting down a damn ham bone. The vegan version is amazing by itself...give it a try.

Note Again (the last one, I promise): My dear grandmother would not classify my vegan soup as a meal, or as soup for that matter. Hell, she'd probably say it wasn't even food. She was a card-carrying meat lover who lived on a ranch and probably assisted in the slaughter of more than one pig to be sacrificed to the pea soup gods. So, I apologize, grandma...no piggy here.