Split Pea Soup! Love it or Leave it?

Do you love Split Pea Soup or think it is something akin to a baby's bodily function? Nobody seems to be torn on this subject. Well, I happen to love it! Especially when it starts to get cold out and this afternoon is perfect for homemade soup! My husband, on the other hand, says it looks like baby boogers... Nice! So I made him a big pot of Beans and Wee Knees instead. (I'll share that delightful recipe next week) For the few that do like it, I thought that I would share my recipe. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, this counts as a core soup on the Weight Watchers program.

Ingredients

1. 1 bag of chopped onions
2. 1 bag of green split peas
3. 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots
4. 1 potato (peeled and cubed)
5. 3 ham hocks
(you can use chopped ham, but to keep the calorie and fat content down,
I use the ham hocks and then pull them out at the end)
6. 8 cups of vegetable stock
7. 1 tsp of Herbs De Province

Herbs de Province is awesome! I use it a lot in soups. I learned about it from Rachel Ray. It is a blend of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (yes just like the song). I just dump everything into the pot and bring it all to a boil. Once it is boiling I turn it down very low and let it cook.

I let it cook for a long long long time. Like 3 or 4 hours on low. Stir it occasionally. When the potato is really soft...then its done. Pull the ham hocks out. Ladle into the blender and puree in batches.

In my pre- Weight Watchers days I would have a nice big piece of cornbread with lots of butter. I won't, but you can! : ) Instead, I will have a glass of sparkling water. Now that is the perfect hearty lunch on a cold rainy day!

Yum!!