Savory Split-Pea Soup

And you thought pureed veggies were only for babies. This soup is scrumptious and extremely healthy, and you will want a second bowl, I promise!

I was wandering through the bulk section at Whole Foods last week, and decided to fill up a bag with French split peas. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I figured I could make something yummy and full of vitamins.

I googled split pea soup recipes, but every recipe I found would have required another trip to the store. So, I took some tips from allrecipes.com, and came up with my own recipe using ingredients from my fridge. It didn't take long at all, and we will be having leftovers tomorrow night. YUMMY! (and I'm not a huge fan of soup in general).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups split peas (soak them in a big pot of water overnight first, so this is 1 1/2 cups SOAKED peas)

2 or 3 T olive oil

1 cup of organic celery, finely chopped

1 cup of organic red and green peppers, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 container (four cups) of organic beef broth

1 T Herbes de Provence

A few grinds of black pepper

A few grinds of salt

Put the veggies (celery, onion, and peppers) into a food processor and pulse a few times (or chop by hand).

Drizzle olive oil into a large pot on the stove over medium/high heat, and then add chopped veggies and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add Herbes de Provence and stir.

***Keep toddler entertained with a few bowls, cups, spoons, and the extra peas.***

Pour beef broth into the veggie mixture and continue to stir. Add peas and spinach, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for about an hour and a half, stirring every 10 minutes or so. After an hour, turn off the heat, and let soup sit for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.

Pour soup into a food processor, and turn it on for about 10-15 seconds. That's it. Now enjoy with some crusty French bread. Mmmmm...

Easy Quiche (with homemade crust!)

I have always wanted to make a delicious quiche with a crust from scratch. Quiche can be eaten any time of day, at any meal. I decided to finally figure out how to do it just in time for Christmas brunch.

I've already made four quiches and it becomes easier and easier each time! The best part is that you just need to know the simple recipe for the crust, and then you can fill it with whatever you want. I made one with shrimp, bacon, and white cheddar, which was a hit at Christmas. I also made one with avocado, tomato, and cheese, that didn't go over quite as well. My favorite that I've made twice so far simply contains green peppers (which I've been craving majorly this pregnancy) and shredded white cheddar. This is the recipe...

Ingredients:
Crust:

3/4 cup flour
1 tspn salt
1/2 stick butter (slightly chilled)
1/4 cup freezing cold water

Filling:

5 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup milk
2/3 green pepper
1 cup shredded white cheddar

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a quiche dish (or pie plate) with canola oil, and set aside.

Pour the flour into the food processor. Add the salt and pulse a few times. Chop up the butter and add it to the food processor. Pulse five or six times. With the food processor running, pour the water into the top and let it blend until just mixed. Do not let it form a ball.



Spread a square of plastic wrap on the counter, and put the dough on top. Roll it out until it is about 4-5 inches in diameter (or use your hands, like I did since I don't have a rolling pin). :) Wrap the dough in the saran wrap and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Slightly overlap two sheets of plastic wrap on a damp counter (just use your hands to sprinkle some water on the counter). Place the dough in the center of the saran wrap, and roll it out to about 10 inches in diameter. Cover the top of the dough with another sheet of plastic wrap and make sure it is wrapped on all sides. Place the dough in the freezer for five minutes.

Remove the dough from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, and place the dough in the greased dish. Pinch the edges and push them up against the side of the dish. Lightly cover the dough with foil, and place the dish in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and let the crust bake for five more minutes (without the foil).

While the crust is baking, chop up the green pepper and saute it in a greased/buttered pan for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the milk, and beat until well blended. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the crust from the oven, and spread the green peppers on top of the crust. Layer the cheese over the peppers, then add the egg mixture last.

Place the quiche in the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes.