This hearty soup is one of our favorites. Many years ago I made a creamy potato leek soup. We enjoyed it with a bit of cheddar cheese on top. The whole family loved that soup. As much as I enjoyed the flavor, my body never felt quite right after eating it. Potatoes contain a great deal of starch, which is a carbohydrate. But even though a potato is considered a “healthy” carbohydrate, your body digests these carbs faster than other kinds of complex carbs.These broken-down carbs flood your blood with sugar which makes your blood sugar spike quickly.
One of the ways I reversed my insulin resistance, was by crowding in foods that make me feel better and help to keep my blood sugar level. My husband and I now call this creamy split pea soup our favorite and we agree that this soup, full of protein and fiber, has surpassed both the flavor and health benefits of the potato leek soup. This creamy soup does not have cream in it. The split peas, once cooked and puréed, create a beautifully creamy soup on their own. Split peas are a wonderful source of protein, folate, thiamin, iron and potassium. One cup of cooked split peas contains 33% of your daily recommended value of protein. Protein builds bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. The split peas also provide a whopping 58% of your daily recommended value of dietary fiber which keeps you full and helps to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Spices and herbs come from plants, which means they are sources of plant phytonutrients. Many phytonutrients have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or even anti-cancer properties, and in the case of spices, these phytonutrients can be very concentrated. Turmeric is a brilliant yellow spice common in Indian cuisine. It has been used as a medicine for centuries to treat colds, infections, and liver disease. Studies have shown that both garlic and curcumin, which is found in turmeric, reduces inflammation in the body. The root cause of most disease is inflammation.
INGREDIENTS
4-6 pieces of uncured bacon
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 celery stalks, chopped.
2 organic carrots, diced
2 cups dry yellow or green split peas
2 T. organic chicken base
2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
2 t. ground turmeric
1 t. curry powder
1/2 t. ground thyme
1/2 t. ground oregano
DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, render bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside.
Remove bacon fat and add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring now and again.
Add spices and cook 2 minutes more stirring constantly.
Add split peas, water, bay leaf. Return the bacon to the pan. Bring to a boil, simmer, and lower heat. Cook for one hour or until split peas are tender.
Turn off the heat, and using an immersion blender, purée the soup.
Enjoy!
Elise xo
Cooking Tips:
1) For a vegetarian option, omit the bacon and use olive or avocado oil to sauté vegetables. You can substitute vegetable stock for chicken broth as well.
2) To make a vegetable stock, save the parts of the vegetables you cut off during the week including outer layers of celery, the root and skins of the onions, etc and keep in a storage bag in the refrigerator. At the end of the week, place in water with herbs and boil to make a lovely stock. This can even be done in an Instapot.
3) A time saver: I love using an electric tea kettle. My husband and I both enjoy our herbal teas throughout the day. I also find an electric kettle very useful when cooking. Instead of adding cold water to my soup pot and waiting for it to boil, I boil the water needed for my soup in the kettle and then carefully add it to the pot. This cuts the cooking time in half.
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