Parve Soup

Total time: 1hr 35 mins

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 1hr 20 mins

Yield: 7-9 cups

This is a delicious traditional Jewish dish (with a bit of my own twist) that is healthy and will have you craving for more. You can dunk your bread in it or just shave a little bit of cheese and enjoy it as is. It's a perfect way to sneak some veggies without even thinking about it!

Ingredients:

- 1 large onion (peeled, trimmed, chopped)

- 3 bay leaves

- 3 cloves garlic (peeled, chopped)

- 3 celery stalks (trimmed, chopped)

- 1 1/2 cups split peas (rinsed)

- 1/2 cup green lentils

- 8 cups water

- 2 tbsp. olive oil

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1/2 tsp. black pepper

- 1/2 tsp. dried basil

- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

- 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

- 1/2 tsp oregano

- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley (optional)

- 2 tbsp. bouillon/ 1/2 cup vegetable stock (optional)

Nutrition (1 cup):

150 calories 4g fat 24g carbs 6g protein

Steps:

1) In large stockpot, heat the stockpot and then add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, celery, and carrots, then saute until the onions are clear. This should take about 5-7 mins.

2) Add the lentils, peas, and water. Here, you can add about 2 tbsp. of bouillon for extra flavor or 1/2 cup vegetable stock to replace 1/2 cup water if you want a bit more of a base. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer. Stir every so often, let it simmer for about 40 mins.

3) Add parsley, salt, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, and chili powder. Cover the pot and let it simmer while stirring occasionally, for about 25-40 mins. Let it simmer until the peas fall apart and the vegetables are soft.

4) Take out the bay leaves. Using a blender, blend the soup until it is very smooth (let it cool a bit before pureeing).

5) To garnish, you can add a little bit of cheese (I added almond jalapeno cheese for a little kick), some parsley, and a little jalapeno sauce. The salad on the side is a mix with a bit of dill sauerkraut.

Enjoy!