Lentil and Split Pea Soup

Today I had time to cook, wasn't hosting a lovely guest and wasn't dying from whatever has been going around these days, so I took the opportunity to cook something hearty for Mr. K and I. Something vegan, tasty, costing nothing (except what I spent earlier this month to bulk up my pantry) and something that would provide leftovers so that we have a good lunch for work tomorrow.

I also remembered that we've invited a work friend of Mr. K's over for dinner tomorrow night, so I decided to remind myself that I can cook, and to pre-prep a few things for tomorrow, including the dough for broa (a Portuguese yeasted corn bread).

If you check out my blogroll, you'll see that I LOVE 101 Cookbooks. This site is so full of hearty cooking inspiration and has really changed the way I stock and view my pantry. The recipes are all vegetarian, with a solid amount of good vegan recipes in there (and even more that can be made vegan with some fair tweaking). Recently, I saw a post for soup crackers and decided they'd be perfect to make for today. You can find the recipe here, though note that it calls for both milk and butter. I solved that problem by subbing soy milk and Earth Balance "butter." I dare say that my non-vegan followers wouldn't know these were animal free crackers, and they received the Mr. K seal of approval. In his words "these won't last very long!" (little does he know I only baked up half the dough...haha!) I was a little nervous about the anise seed being overpowering, so I halved it. Now having eating the crackers, I'd go with the full amount (though I would still skimp a smidge on the sugar).

To go with these crackers, I decided to use up some of the legumes and veggies that have been accumulating in my cupboards. I had soaked a bowl of lentils and split green peas (both were on sale at the grocery store awhile back), overnight in cold water, so I needed to use those, and we got some rainbow carrots in the food share this past week, so those were a must addition as well.

**I should note that you don't actually need to soak lentils, and you can "quick soak" the split peas. They just take a little longer to cook, so you'd leave the soup on the stove longer than I did.

Katie's Vegan Lentil and Split Pea Soup 

1/2 cup lentils (soaked overnight)
1/2 split green peas (soaked overnight)
1 can whole kernel corn (with liquid)
3-4 medium sized carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
splash of olive oil
1T crushed garlic (I use the TJs kind)
salt, pepper, ground anise seed, chili pepper, coriander to taste
dash of dill for last minute flavoring and garnish

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions (keep on med to med-hi) and let them cook up until fragrant and beginning to go clear. A little browning and sticking is fine. Add the chopped carrots and keep on med-hi for a minute or two.

Pour in the liquid used to soak the lentils and peas. Bring to a boil in the pot, stirring. Let boil for a few minutes to soften the carrots, then add the lentils and peas. Pour in the corn with liquid and give it a good swirl.

At this point I added in some salt and freshly cracked pepper, threw in about a tsp of fresh ground anise seeds and probably 1/2 tsp of coriander.

After letting the soup simmer for 10-15min, I added in the garlic, sprinkled in about 1/2 tsp of chili powder, increased the black pepper (after tasting it) and sprinkled on the dill. I let it cook another 20-25 minutes. You just want to make sure you're happy with the consistency of the peas.

Serve with oatmeal crackers and enjoy!!