Oh, Pea Soup!

As a little girl, I absolutely hated split pea soup. But recently the bright green dried peas were so enticing we just had to buy them. And when I got home from work the other night at 11:40 pm, I found that my associate had a pot of the most delicious split pea soup ever simmering away on the stove for me. Aww. This is Ben's recipe.

Ben's Split Pea Soup

2 cups split peas, about 1 lb (washed and picked over)
6 cups water
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 tsp salt
1 pinch dried thyme
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 pinch allspice
4 dashes cayenne pepper (add one at a time and taste, so as not to overdo)
black pepper to taste

Saute onions in the bottom of a soup pot a little oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and continue to cook about another 5 minutes. Add peas, water, and spices. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer 2-3 hours, adding more water as necessary.

Serves about 4.

Amazing Summer Tofu Salad

Wow. This is good. It's really hot today, and as I was studying this afternoon I was thinking about what cool and delicious yet filling dinner I wanted. And thought this might work. AND IT DOES. Soft, fresh, and crunchy all at the same time.

Amazing Summer Tofu Salad

1 container firm or extra firm tofu, well drained and cubed
3 cups diced green cabbage (can be roughly diced--I'm not a good dicer)
1 lb frozen peas
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
3 green onions, white and half the green part, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste


Boil water in a saucepan. Cook the peas about three to four minutes, until just hot through but not yet wrinkly.
While the peas are boiling, combine yogurt, vinegar, oil, fennel seeds, and salt; mix thoroughly.
When the peas are done, drain them and rinse immediately with cold water to cool them. Combine tofu, cabbage, peas, and yogurt mixture in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Taste, and add more vinegar if necessary.
Garnish with chopped scallions.

Serves at least 4 as a main dish.

The idea of this was that it is fairly bland, but you could add some cilantro, some hot jalapenos, etc to spice it up a little.

Pasta with Peas and Feta

This is probably the dish I make most often. It's very quick, has three food groups, and I always have all these ingredients on hand (thanks, super cheap feta at Foodmaster). The fennel brings out the sweetness of the peas and the saltiness of the feta.

Pasta with Peas and Feta

1/2 box cavatappi or other short pasta
2 or 3 oz. crumbled feta
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp olive oil
1 pinch fennel seeds
black pepper

Cook pasta. In the last minute or so of cooking, add the peas to the pasta water and continue cooking just until hot, one to two minutes. Drain pasta and peas. Combine with feta, olive oil, fennel seeds, and pepper. Serve right away.

Serves 2 (or one very hungry person).