Yellow Split Pea Soup
Yellow split peas often go overlooked. These little guys pack 25 grams of protein and 26 grams of fiber in a 100 gram serving making them a solid staple They are quite versatile and can be used as a side dish or, as is the case with this recipe, as the main course,. The yellow split peas themselves are not strongly flavored and as a result can be used almost any genre of food. Our kids absolutely loved this soup and we hope your family enjoys it as well!
Directions
- 3 cups of yellow split peas
- 10 cups of water/veggie broth
- 1 small white/yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 TBS minced fresh garlic
- 1 TBS or more or less depending on taste curry powder
- 2 tsp or more or less depending on taste turmeric
- 2 tsp or more or less depending on taste cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- brown rice, quinoa or other grain of choice
Rinse the peas in water then place into a pressure cooker or large stockpot with broth. Bring to pressure and hold for 10 minutes or if you are using a standard pot bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes, or until the peas are tender and falling apart.
In the meantime, saute in water the onion until translucent. Next,add the rest of the spices. Saute until the spices are aromatic and turn off heat; add water if needed to prevent the pan from drying out. Once peas are done place the spice and onion mixture into the soup. Let it simmer for a short while and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on top of the rice or other grain of choice along with some greens and other vegetables!
The above recipe makes approximately 10 cups of soup.
Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes
Our kids especially LOVE pancakes. So naturally when we decided to go gluten free this was a concern- how will we make GOOD tasting pancakes?
Eric came across a great recipe that worked really well. We have used it many times with great success. I loved the recipe but I always am trying to find a way to make things as healthy as possible so I began tinkering with it. I started with adding protein to the recipe. Our son, in particular, is a carb lover and I am always trying to find ways to sneak extra protein into his foods. I worked on being able to add enough protein powder to make a positive difference without changing the texture or taste of the pancakes. What I have found is I can do one serving of a mix of plant proteins, pea protein, or rice protein thinned into a bit of almond milk with no changes.
Next up I wanted to work on the oil in the recipe. I try to not add oil to our foods with the belief that oil should come in its natural form: inside and part of a whole food such as a nut or avocado. Read this for more information on this topic.
What I use now, and have had no change in the outcome of the recipe, is Coconut Manna. This is a great whole food to use in place of coconut oil as it has a blend of the coconut meat, containing good protein and the oils that are inside the coconut naturally. You get the nutritional powerhouse of both!
I then changed the egg replacer. Ener-G egg replacer has yielded success with respect to texture and taste but lacks a lot of nutritional benefit, so I have easily replaced that with either making a “flax egg” or “chia egg.”
Here is the breakdown of the recipe:
- 1 thoroughly mashed Banana
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Manna
- 1 chia or flax egg
- 1 Tbsp Sugar (or Agave Nectar)
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk
- 3/4 cup GF All Purpose Baking Flour
Directions:
Begin by whisking together banana, coconut manna, flax/chia egg, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, cider vinegar and milk. Next, add flour and stir until just combined. Now you’re ready to cook! You can use an oiled skillet or griddle as you would with a more traditional pancake. Makes 4 servings but they’re so good you may want to consider doubling the recipe!
This is the Coconut Manna.
This is what the almond milk mixed with the apple cider vinegar looks like- makes it almost like buttermilk in consistency.
This is a flax egg! Going into the batter.
The plant protein mixed with a bit of almond milk before adding to the batter.
Adding in blueberries! Yum!
Cooking on the griddle, I especially love the splatter “baby” pancakes.
Delicious pancakes topped with earth balance and maple syrup!
