As a vegetarian, I'm always looking for high-protein foods. This week I stumbled upon a protein-packed food that costs less than $1.00 per pound -- dried peas.
You can imagine my surprise when I checked the nutritional listing on the back of the bag. Just 1/4 cup of peas contains 11 grams of protein. WOW!
Craving Peas
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Dried split peas contain 11 grams of protein per 1/4 cup.
Photo by Jeltovski, Morguefile.com |
After watching an episode of Chef Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, and eyeing a homemade pea soup, I had to make some myself.
Although I didn't have enough fresh peas on hand to make the soup, it turned out delicious and surprisingly filling with the dried peas. Thank you, protein!
Simple Recipe
I partially followed the soup recipe on the bag by simmering 1 pound of peas with 8 cups of water. Once the peas softened, I blended the mix with my stick blender, then added salt and pepper.
I know most recipes include sauteed onions, carrots and celery, but I wanted a clean, crisp pea flavor. And, it turned out delicious.
To make the soup a meal I added fresh toasted croutons to the top of my bowl. After chopping a dry whole wheat roll and drizzling it with olive oil, I toasted the bread cubes in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They turned out crisp, flavorful and worked as a perfect compliment to the soup.
Do you have a favorite pea soup recipe, add in, topper or trick to share? Let me know. I'll be using dried peas a lot more in the future.
Until Next Time!
Choose Healthy,
Angela
