Pea soup packed with fiber, folate

Celebrate split peas next week with this recipe from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council in Moscow, Idaho.

This soup is packed with fiber and folate from the peas. It’s also easily converted to a vegetarian recipe.

Split Pea Soup

From the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council in Moscow, Idaho. To covert it to a vegetarian soup, don’t use the ham and simmer the other ingredients in 2 quarts water until peas are tender.

1 meaty ham hock

2 quarts water

1 1/2 cups dry split peas

3/4 cup diced carrot

1 1/2 cups diced celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salt and more pepper, to taste

Cover the ham hock with 2 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Take the bone from the pot, remove all meat from the bone, and cut the meat into small pieces. Return the meat to the pot.

Add dry split peas, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, thyme and pepper to the pot. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until peas are tender. Longer cooking will give a creamier texture. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 158 calories, 2 grams fat (11 percent fat calories), 11 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 7 milligrams cholesterol, 10 grams dietary fiber.