Winter Pea, Granny Smith Apple And Potato Soup (Company's Comin': Getting My Festive On!)

My mother's pea soup this is not. Seems to me I recall many pea soups from my childhood, but none quite like this. Flipping through the myriad of cookbooks I own, the apple and pea combo appear more than once. I was intrigued enough to finally give it a go--but with my own twists. Let me be honest, I only had: apples, peas, one onion, some garlic and a few potatoes on hand. I was even out of celery. I am never out of celery! Lucky for me, I have some celery I grew that is just begging to be used--still green. Note to me--plant more celery next year. So in the pitch dark last night, I found myself in my garden feeling for stalks of celery trying not to cut off my own finger.

I have neglected my kitchen pantry for quite some time--for obvious reasons. I love playing the game of "guess what's for dinner" at six at night. Like an old friend, my dried peas and beans always stand at the ready. Once I had the main this-is-all-I-have-left ingredients cooking in the soup pot, I said, "Something is missing". It was potato. So in went my last three yukon golds. For an added kick--I tossed in some paprika and mustard oil. (God I love that mustard oil--LOVE it!)  

The combination of stress and anticipation of the "Festivus" time of year is making my appetite go into hibernation. My sister arrives this weekend, too. I've not seen her in nearly five years. I plan to decorate the house today. I bought a huge box of holiday Keurig coffee yesterday at BBB with my two coupons--one I had for twenty percent off, plus I received a five dollar off coupon in the mail. It made purchasing twenty-five dollars! worth of coffee a lot less painful, let me tell you! This morning--my Spicy Eggnog coffee hit the spot! I heart the Keurig coffee!

My sister arrives Saturday. I can hardly wait to see my sister! She and I can throw down some eating (and shopping--oh, there WILL be shopping!)--so I am sort of glad my body had offered up a reprieve in all things food for a bit. She is not vegan. Don't even ask about cooking. She'll be sharing the turkey day with turkey eaters. She's not been here since we went vegan three years ago. Her best friend lives in the state and she'll be spending that day doing what 99.9 percent of the rest of this country does on T-Day. Listen, I cannot make demands--but what I can do is sneak in a vegan Thanksgiving sort-of meal on her--she will love it! I make our mom's stuffing recipe better than anyone else (well, there isn't anyone else--so we'll at least have this to share).

This soup comes together quickly and is very forgiving--just throw in whatever you have in addition to some split peas. The peas cook down very nicely. In one of the cookbooks I have, a suggestion was made to add some frozen peas toward the end--so I did by chance have a bag of frozen peas (usually the peas are for icing my running injuries!). The added bulk of the frozen peas made this soup extra nice. Have some crusty bread on hand and this meal is very filling and a good leftover companion! FYI: I use veggie bouillon cubes all the time in my soups. They come in low-sodium--so I use this type. This makes it less of a hassle to have to always worry about having veggie stock on hand.

Winter Pea, Granny Smith Apple and Potato Soup

1 1/2 cups dried green split peas (rinsed and drained)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

1 large yellow onion chopped

3 carrots chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

2-3 celery stalks chopped

3 yukon gold potatoes chopped into 1/4" cubes (I leave the skins on)

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

1 1/2  teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon paprika

dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed crushed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

fresh ground pepper

6 cups water

1 low-sodium vegetable bouillon cube

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or grainy mustard

2 tablespoons mustard oil 

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Prep ALL the chopped veggies and apples. Add the peas AND all chopped veggies plus apple to your soup pot. Allow veggies and peas to cook together for about five minutes--until the onions begin to soften. Add all of your seasonings, water, vinegar and boullion cube and stir well to combine. Cover and allow to simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Check peas for doneness--mash with a fork or taste. If you need to add more water to make the soup less thick--do so. But just remember to taste the soup for salt. Allow soup to simmer about another 20 more minutes. Add the frozen peas, mustard and mustard oil. Mix well. Serve with a side of crusty bread!