Healthy Split Pea Soup

Name: Healthy Split Pea Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Ingredients: 1 T coconut oil; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 1 large sweet potato, chopped; 1 1/2 cups dried green split peas; 5 1/2 cups vegetable stock; 1 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp dried basil; 1 tsp dried dill; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1/4 tsp cumin

February 14, 2016

This creamy and hearty Healthy Split Pea Soup is packed full of vegetables and plant-based protein for a delicious meal in one! A healthy soup recipe ready in 40 minutes or less.

I couldn’t possibly write a whole post on Split Pea Soup and not mention where my love of split pea soup evolved from. If you’re from Toronto and have ever frequented United Baker’s Dairy Restaurant than you know how incredible their pea soup is. When I say this is the “soup of all soups”, I am not joking. This soup has superpowers….or SOUPerpowers if you will.

It also is packed full of a lifetime of memories. When I think of UB Pea Soup, my mind if flooded with a series of memories that take me from babyhood to present day. And as I’m sure you suspected, today’s post will indeed be taking you down memory lane.

Fun fact, I actually had no idea United Bakers was the name of the restaurant until well into my teens. We always called it “Phil’s” because one of the owner’s names is Phil. Despite a massive sign outside the restaurant, it never occured to me that Phil’s wasn’t the actual name of the restaurant. And to this day my family still calls it Phil’s 🙂

I also remember stopping there after Sunday School with my Dad so I could pick out a gingerbread cookie and they would sometimes give me a sprinkle cookie for free. No one makes sprinkle cookies quite like UB.

And when we were sick? Somehow UB’s pea soup always made an appearance and like I said, it has magical curing powers.

Unfortunately it didn’t have to ability to pass my exams for me, but my freezer at McGill was always stocked with pea soup that my parents would bring with them in a cooler from Toronto. Yes, my parents schlepped pea soup 5 hours just to ensure I didn’t starve during exams. I can single-handedly thank UB for feeding me while I last minute crammed for Intro to Neuro.

And of course there’s the magical moment when you bring your boyfriend there for the first time. It’s like a right of passage. And a mandatory ceiling mirror selfie is most definitely called for.

My most recent memory at UB was rekindling with the one and only Jess and fan-girling over Bonnie Stern. Who woulda thought that almost a year later she’d be the other half of Team Maven? Have I mentioned this pea soup does magical things?!

So in honour of a restaurant that holds a special place in my heart, I made my healthy version of split pea soup. It will never top the original (nor should it) but it’s full of love and memories…just without the butter 😉