It's a soupy kind of day..

Well, today in good old Delaware,  the weather is decidedly dreary. It is also the first day all week that I've had no plans that involve leaving my house! I am not a homebody for the most part, but when we've had a busy couple of weeks I love a day at home. I like to spend days like these catching up on Mount Neverest (the laundry pile), reading books with the kids, watching a happy movie and cooking comforting food.

Soup on a rainy day is just the best. I love soups because I enjoy getting creative with spices and trying new combinations of vegetables and meats. Here is my favorite yellow split pea soup. It is very similar to the classic green split pea except it looks much more appetizing! I also like this soup because it's incredibly inexpensive to make, yet filling and healthy.

I start by sauteing the onions, carrots, garlic and spices in a touch of olive oil.

I added a splash of white cooking wine when the onions start to be translucent. These are the spices I used. I am having a love affair with smoked paprika. I just adore the taste and depth of flavor it adds to dishes.The cumin and cinnamon in the Moroccan seasoning compliment the natural sweetness of the carrots perfectly. Sage and bay leaves you probably already have.

Don't forget to rinse and sort your yellow peas!

Combine the peas with the vegetables and add some chicken stock and water. Then just let it simmer away on low for a couple hours! It needs to cook at least until the peas are falling apart and very soft. 

Nothing like a simple, healthy, vegetarian soup. My 3 year old and 8 month old joined me in gobbling it down with some cornbread muffins. 

Yellow Split Pea Soup

4-5 medium carrots, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

2 bay leaves

4 cups or 32 ounces of chicken stock

1 cup water

1 bag of yellow split peas, rinsed and sorted

Saute the carrots, onion, garlic, and seasonings in some olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of white cooking wine and cook for another minute. Add the sorted and rinsed peas and the chicken stock and water. Put a lid on the pot and simmer on low for at least an hour or until the peas are completely soft and falling apart. 

I prefer my soup to be quite thick but you can always add more water if you would like! Also, I cook without added salt most of the time and the chicken stock was plenty salty for me but you might want to add a bit more. 

Enjoy!