Split pea soup with tempeh bacon.

I've never had split pea soup until last month. In my pregan days, I was the pickiest eater on the planet and split pea soup did not fit into my diet of chicken strips, macaroni n' cheese. Split pea soup was green and full of vegetables and, therefore, sent from the devil himself as far as I was concerned. Now that I have seen the light and know that vegetables are our friends, I want to eat this all the time.

Olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1/2 pkg tempeh bacon

3 bay leaves

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp thyme

1 1/2 C dried split peas

8 C vegetable/chikn broth

1/2 C white wine

Saute veggies in olive oil over medium heat until soft, 10ish minutes. Add garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add broth, seasonings and split peas and bring to boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about an hour.

Sometime while it's cooking, fry tempeh bacon in olive oil over medium heat until crisp and set aside. Do not eat it all. Or do and cook more.

After the soup has simmered, you'll have to decide whether you want it hearty and chunky or smooth and velvety. I'm obsessed with my food processor and all things smooth, so I chose the latter. Once it's done simmering, fish out the bay leaves, add wine and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want it chunky, just add tempeh bacon and dig in. If you're going to blend it, make sure to let it cool before you start and add the tempeh after.

Makes: a ton.
Lasts: forever.