Easy Peasy Split Pea Soup

Never in a million years did I think I'd be posting a recipe for Split Pea Soup but here goes. My poor husband has been eating Split Pea soup from a can for years because I'm not a pea lover and was certain I would hate this soup. Actually, I remember my mom made it once when I was a kid and insisted I try it. I recall gagging (probably more for her benefit than because it was really that bad) and swearing I would never, EVER eat it again.

Well, promises are meant to be broken I guess. I decided to try making this in hopes that I could find a meal that both my husband and I would be excited about. I adapted this from a recipe by Dr. Esselstyn and it was a winner. Hubby liked it and (gasp!) so did I. 

Easy Peasy Split Pea Soup

2 cups (1 16 oz. bag) dry split peas
10 cups water
2 T Vogue Veggie Base low-sodium broth powder
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dry mustard
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic (I used jarred)
4 - 5 celery stalks, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 medium red potatoes, diced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste

Rinse split peas and pick through, discarding any foreign objects or stones. Place split peas, water, bay leaves, broth powder, and mustard in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes.

Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Cover and simmer for about 45 - 50 minutes, stirring on occasion. Add additional water if soup becomes too thick. When split peas have softened and veggies are tender, add black pepper and sea salt to taste.

Note: In retrospect, I would leave out the garlic as my husband isn't a fan and I didn't feel it really added anything to the flavor ... so why have garlic breath if it's not worth it!

Which Program To Follow?

Sometimes I tend to over complicate things. In my desire to move forward, I feel as though I must find the perfect eating plan and follow it exclusively.

This narrow-minded mentality is holding me back from reaching my weight loss and health goals. Why? Because while I'm trying to find the perfect plan, I'm allowing myself to eat junk and be uncommitted. In a way, my inability to narrow down exactly what I'm supposed to do is becoming my grandest excuse of all for remaining unhealthy.

I've been looking at the recommendations of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Caldwald Esselstyn, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. John Macdougall. All their strategies make sense yet they all have slightly different guidelines. While all recommend a healthy vegan approach (I say "healthy" because it's pretty easy to eat a completely UN-healthy vegan diet) some say no oils or added fats (such as found in avocados and nuts) and encourage grains, while others say to eat nuts but limit grains. Some suggest limiting the amount and types of fruits and vegetables you consume, others say it's all good.

So who should I believe? What's the best course of action? I think it boils down to what feels right for me.

Since I'm trying to get to a heart-healthy state with lower cholesterol and triglycerides that includes getting to a stable blood sugar level, I've decided to limit the fats and cook without added oil as much as possible. I'm limiting nuts to an occasional tablespoon or so of walnuts on my salads. I'm also trying to focus more on veggies than fruit, but still plan to have several fruit servings each day.

In addition, I'm going to enjoy grains, but will try to limit the amounts to a few servings a day (like oats in the morning and perhaps some brown rice with either my lunch or dinner or a tortilla wrap.) I'm thinking starchy veggies such as potatoes and corn should also be an somewhat limited and occasional treat rather than a daily staple.

It should probably go without saying, but I'm avoiding anything processed. No sweeteners (I'm trying to break my sugar addiction as well.) And I'm staying away from breads and yeast products as much as possible (although I'm OK with whole grain tortillas and wraps as long as they're vegan and don't have added oils or sugars.)

I like (and seem to do best) with routine. I like (need?) to have consistency in what I do. I read in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease that many of Dr. Esselstyn's patients eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every single day. To me, that's heavenly. I don't like to have to think about things too much. If I'm going to constantly be planning meals, I'm sunk.

Still, it's nice to have options and to be able to be flexible when necessary. I like to have back-up plans -- or what I call my Plan B.

For now, I'm planning to go with my Esselstyn Breakfast in the morning, my Big Salad at lunch time and then rotate through a bunch of easy-to-prepare dinner options (soups, wraps, salads, or stir-fries during the week, trying some different recipes on the weekend, the winners of which will be added to the weekly rotation.) For me, this means less stress. I love being able to make a pot of soup and freeze it in portions ... or having bean burgers already made and in the freezer. It allows me to have some variety without worrying whether I have the time or ingredients to make whatever is on the menu. I just pull out whatever appeals to me that morning and dinner is basically ready when I am. It also makes dinner prep easier when hubby doesn't want what I'm having. I make up some of his favorites and freeze them as well.

Hopefully, having a fairly consistent routine will mean weight loss and health down the road. I'm just putting this plan and my personal guidelines out there as a way to cement what my routine will be. Again -- having something written down helps to keep me on track.

No excuses. I've got to get serious about this.

My New Favorite -- The Esselstyn Breakfast

It's no secret that I've been on the hunt for a go-to breakfast for a while now. While I like the brown rice breakfast bowls I've been making up, I have to admit they were simply the best I'd come up with up until now.

I really, really, REALLY wanted to like oatmeal. But I just didn't like the texture and taste of it cooked. Maybe it was because I used water instead of milk (soymilk -- which I'm just not that crazy about) but to me it just seemed kind of ... gooey.

Anyway, I happened to be reading Caldwell Esselstyn's book -- Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and noticed two recipes. The first was called Evelyn's Best Meal of the Day and the second was The Esselstyn Breakfast. Evelyn's recipe includes all the ingredients I used in my version, but she cooks it. The Esselstyn Breakfast allows for more of a build-your-own-breakfast version (using various milks or juices, fruits, etc.)

This is my version of both these recipes. I'm listing the amounts I used since neither recipe didn't list amounts. And I didn't cook my oats -- and can't believe how much I enjoyed them!

Since I'm all about quick and easy, I've already made up baggies with measured portions of oats and raisins for the rest of the week. All I have to do is empty the baggie contents into a bowl, top with 1/2 of a banana or other fruit, and pour on a little apple juice. Voila! Breakfast.

The Esselstyn Breakfast -- Bumme's Version

1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 medium banana, sliced*
1/8 cup (2 T) raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice.

Place oats and raisins in a bowl. Slice 1/2 banana and place over oats. Pour apple juice over all and let sit for a few minutes, stirring on occasion, to let juice absorb into oats and raisins.

Note: This recipe is also published in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease but called Evelyn's Best Meal of the Day. However, the mixture is microwaved for 90 seconds and again, no measurements are provided.

*I think that other fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries could be added in addition to or instead of the bananas.