easy as pea soup

I used to believe that split pea soup was basically mushed up canned peas in a bowl. But that was before my eyes were opened to the exciting world of cooking and spices! You see, I used to think..."Ok, yes there's the added color of carrots and some white chunks of potato in split pea soup, but basically, it's not very appealing when you first look at it and I really don't think I want to try a bite of that muted green slop." Yes, trust me, that's what I thought. You see, when I eat peas, they have to be the bright green kind, from a frozen bag. Not the faded green, mushy peas from a can. Nope, I just can't do canned peas. I have to say, I surprised myself when I first tried split pea soup and actually liked it. The peas were not from a can and the flavor was fantastic! I have to thank my old boss, Tracy. Her split pea soup was the first I agreed to try because she had such a high opinion of it. That was when I discovered how amazing mushed up peas could be! So of course, when I saw a curried split pea soup in the "Vegan With A Vengeance" cookbook, I knew we had to try it. It's the type of soup that calls you to come back for more. And more, I did! I think this recipe is perfect for a cold, winter day. But maybe that's because the first time I ever made split pea soup (pre-vegan) was when we had a big winter storm last year.....

Due to this heavy snow storm, my office had a late opening one day last winter. I had a gut feeling the night before, so I planned ahead and decided to make split pea soup. This was the first time I ever made this soup, and I went all out. I mean, I had the ham bone, the potatoes, the carrots and I soaked the dried peas the night before. The time and the effort was well worth it because it tasted so good. But, it was definitely a long process and I'll admit it wasn't exactly easy as pie. I was almost late to our already late opening of work! Go figure that one. The clock was ticking and my potatoes and carrots weren’t quite tender enough. Eventually, I had to just pull it off the burner and rush out of the house into a winter wonderland, hoping that my potatoes and carrots weren't hard when I got home. I wished that I could have just stayed home to enjoy a delicious bowl of soup and a hot coffee! But, alas, I had to wait until I got home. However, that wait made the bowl even tastier!

Thankfully this new curry recipe was not as complicated as the first time I made split pea soup. It was so easy and extremely flavorful. If you want a fast, simple soup then this is your recipe. I also found that you can throw in just about anything else for added color and flavor. If you really want those potatoes in there, cut them up really small and throw in as much as you want. Or add some small pieces of carrot...or anything else you can think of. I'm telling you, this soup was easy as pea! Make some now and store it in the freezer for a perfect lunch on a snowy day off!