Meatless Monday with Mindy #30 - Mashed Pea and Barley Soup

Welcome to the 30th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy!  

When I cook from a recipe, I always make notes in my cookbooks such as 'Good!', 'yummy' or 'needed (XYZ)' so that I know whether it's a hit, needs some tweaking or it's not worth making again. I must say though, the latter is a rarity.  Sometimes though, a not so good recipe will have good bones. You know, like an old car or a house that needs major renovation, it's has the basics down pat, but just needs to re-think the rest.  Those are the fun ones. Being able to be creative is part of the fun!  I love smelling my seasoning mixes and herbs and imagining what combination of those might taste wonderful together or create the flavor I'm after.  

Tonight was one of those nights. I came across a recipe I had made before, that per my notes, had good bones but needed...something more. This Mashed Pea and Barley soup needed a substantial flavor to match the chunky goodness going on.

This soup reminds me more of a porridge it is so thick and chunky. Along with it's heartiness, it is packed full of good nutrition with split peas, barley and vegetables, and is non-fat so you don't have to worry about your waistline, unless of course, you eat the whole pot.

This soup has in it dried peas. This small but nutritionally mighty member of the legume family, is a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only can dried peas help lower cholesterol, they are also of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. whfoods.com

Along with the peas, it also has whole grain barley. This is a healthy high-fiber, high-protein whole grain boasting numerous health benefits. When cooked, barley has a chewy texture and nutty flavor, similar to brown rice. Although soup is the most popular way to eat barley, you can use it like any other grain such as couscous or rice. Serve a curry or stir-fry over barley instead of rice or make a barley pilaf.  About.com 

Now that you've learned a little about the benefits of the main ingredients in this soup, let's get cookin'!

Mashed Pea and Barley Soup

adapted from California Pizza Kitchen Pasta, Salads, Soups, and Sides

1 pound of dried split peas, sorted and rinsed

1/2 cup pearl barley

8 cups of water

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika (make sure it's smoked, yum!)

1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/16th teaspoon (large pinch), cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cup carrot, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

This recipe is very simple to make.

Add to a dutch oven or large pot; split peas, barley, water, bay leaves, salt, soy sauce, sage, thyme, cumin and garlic.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pan, turn down the heat and simmer for one hour. This is where you can go enjoy that magazine you've been meaning to read.

Stir in the carrots, onion and celery. Cover again and continue to simmer until the veggies are tender, another 20-30 minutes. 

Add more water if needed to thin out. Discard bay leaves then remove 4 cups of the soup and set aside. With an immersion blender, or in a blender, blend the remaining soup until smooth.  Add the removed soup back in, stir and serve!

Most of these pictures were taken by my Honey. Thanks for tweaking all of these for me.  

I'll be meeting other Meatless Monday bloggers over at The Recipe Renovator. Check it out for more meatless recipes!

 

Meatless Monday with Mindy #25 - Cream of Vegetable Soup

Welcome to the 25th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy.

This week my recipe creation was born out of desperation...sort of.  I've been having jaw pain for a little while now and finally decided to go get it checked out. The doctor I saw said he thinks I might have TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorders are problems with the chewing muscles and joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull).  Not fun. With this diagnosis, the doctors "prescription" was a liquid diet for a week to rest the injured area, which means ... no chewing. 

So, smoothies and soups have been on my menu for the past 4 days.  I have drank smoothies for breakfast almost every day since the new year, and I ADORE soups, but to eat this way 3 meals a day has challenged me, to say the least, to come up with something new and creative to eat each meal. 

This Cream of Vegetable soup was the result of my wanting a creamy soup for dinner one night, but needing more nutrients than most of the "cream of" soups allotted. I am so glad I decided to play with my very old and favorite potato soup recipe into this yummy Cream of Vegetable soup.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The ingredients I used make this soup vegan, but use whatever dairy or non-dairy products and broth you desire. This soup is very versatile. The vegetable and herb choices may be changed as long as you keep the potato as the main vegetable. Changing these out will make the soup taste different, but I'm sure your new creation will taste good with whatever you choose. 

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Serves 4-6

Soup

3 cups Vegetable Broth

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups sliced red potato (keep the peel on!)

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 Tb fresh parsley (OR 1 tsp dried)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Mrs Dash original seasonal blend or other no-salt herb blend

2 cups chopped spinach

Bechamel Sauce

4 TB vegan butter spread (I used Earth Balance)

4 TB flour (I use a blend of flours with rice, wheat and chickpea flour)

2 cups of milk (I used Silk Almond milk, original)

1/4 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, combine the broth, chopped onion, potato, cauliflower, parsley, salt and Mrs Dash.  Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, make the Béchamel sauce.

In a saucepan melt the butter. Blend in the flour and pepper. Add the milk and mix well. Cook and stir until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Once the veggies are tender, add the chopped spinach and cook another 2 minutes.

With an immersion blender, blend all the vegetables until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, cool the soup slightly and, in batches blend or use a processor for 30-60 seconds per batch until smooth. Return to pan).

Add the Béchamel sauce to the vegetable mixture and blend again, or stir well. Season with salt and pepper as needed to taste.

This is a perfect soup to take you into the cooler months that are coming too soon. I'd love it if you stop back by and let me know how you liked it.

I'll be joining Stephanie over at The Recipe Renovator who is hosting the Meatless Monday blog hop.  Check it out for more Meatless Monday recipes from other MM Bloggers!

Thanks once again to my Honey for taking pictures for me.  Check out more of what he loves to do at Photography Musings by Dave.