Split Pea Soup II

This one is from the Whole Foods website. It differs from version I in that it has fresh parsley and pork hocks, whereas the other has cloves and brown sugar. The tastes are decidedly different, though in a blind taste test Ma couldn't tell the difference! Need to see how the leftovers taste before I judge which one is better. This filled up my 4 qt slow cooker - don't go any smaller without adjusting the recipe. 
9/6/13 Finally return of cooler weather allowed me to use the slow cooker again. Made this tonight for dinner, excluding onions and salt. Used a mix of 2 kinds of green dahl. Increased garlic to 5 cloves and also added cumin and curry powder. Used no-salt chicken broth. Cooked on high for 5 hours - meat was not falling off bone like last time, but was cooked through. Served with baguettes.
Nov 2015 - Made this again with a giant smoked ham hock and only 4 c of beef broth, no onion, plus added cumin and curry powder. Was the best one according to MM.

• 2 1/4 c dried green dahl, rinsed (16 oz)
• 2 pork hocks (the small kind)
• 2 carrots, chopped (~1 c)
• 1/2 onion, chopped (less than 1 c)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped (incl leaves if there are any)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• handful chopped fresh parsley (1/4 c)
• 6 c chicken broth

1. Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given. Do not stir.
2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high 4-5 hours), until meat falls off bone (or until peas are very soft).
3. Take out bay leaf and hocks. Pull of meat from bones and add back to pot.
4. Optional: add salt and pepper.

Variations

• Substitute 2 cups meat for the pork hocks, such as sauteed chicken sausage, ham, diced smoked turkey
• Add a small diced potato.
• Add rosemary.

Related Recipes

Split Pea Soup I - vegetarian, with cloves, curry powder, cumin and brown sugar

Slow Cooker Spinach Lasagna

original recipe
Threw together this afternoon, with many interruptions. Would prefer a recipe that didn't require mixing spinach with cheese. Defrosting and squeezing excess water also took a while. Otherwise was very simple to prepare and turned out ok. Would add sliced mushrooms/zucchini next time (of course that also makes it more labor intensive). I used a jar of Paul Newmans basil and tomato sauce, followed by Ragu original (which was much more watery than the Paul Newman jar). ***
12/6/12 Made this with giant mushroom in the first layer, half a zucchini in the 2nd, and another mushroom on the top layer. More delicious! Used a jar of Paul Newmans cheese tomato sauce and topped off with Classico portobello mushroom. ****
10/10/19 Used 4 layers for volume, but reacting badly to lactose. :(

• 2 pkg frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 c ricotta
• 1/2 c parmesan
• 3 c spaghetti sauce (1 jar + a bit from another)
• 6 lasagna noodles, no boil kind (or not)
• 1.5 c shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 c parmesan*
• optional: extra veggies (mushroom, zucchini, ...)

1. Combine spinach, ricotta and parmesan.
2. Put 3/4 cup sauce on bottom of 4 quart slow cooker. Spread evenly.
3. Layer 2 noodles, broken apart to fit. Spread 3/4 c sauce, then half of the spinach mixture, (optional veggies,) and 1/2 c mozzarella. Repeat.
4. Layer 2 noodles, remaining 3/4 c sauce, (optional veggies,) 1/2 c mozzarella and 1/4 c parmesan.
5. Cover and cook on low for 3.5-4 hours, until noodles are done and cheese is slightly browned.

Split Pea Soup I

Started cooking at 9:30 pm and had it for lunch the next day. It looked a bit watery at first, but after pureeing part of it and letting it sit for a while it looked thicker. There is a nice hint of cloves - delicious! Made in 4 quart slow cooker - could probably double to have more for leftovers. Also used the east indian curry powder from House of Spice. Based on original recipe.

• 1 c dried split peas
• 5 c water
• 2 T Better than Bouillon
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery (with a few leaves) - split
• 3 whole cloves
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• l/2 t cumin
• l/2 t curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• optional: 1 T brown sugar

1. Rinse dahl and add to slow cooker.
2. Cut off 3" of celery and poke the 3 cloves into it. Chop the rest of the celery.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except brown sugar, to crockpot.
4. Cook on low for 12-15 hours.
5. Let cool slightly. Puree all or part of soup.
6. Add in brown sugar.
7. Enjoy!

Related Recipes

Split Pea Soup II - with meat and parsley

Pea Pesto

This is an atypical pesto - it turns out green but tastes sweet! Tried it on its own and then with linguine. Prefer it as a dip as opposed to a pasta sauce.

• 1+ c frozen peas, defrosted
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 T pine nuts
• 1/8 t salt
• olive oil

1. In a small pan, lightly toast the pine nuts. (Remember to stir continuously to prevent burning).
2. Add water to pan and bring to boil. Add peas and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
3. Combine garlic, pine nuts, peas and salt in chopper and blend until smooth. Add olive oil if mixture is too thick.

Serving Suggestions

- Eat as is with crackers or tortilla chips.

- Add to pasta with cooked peas and cheese. Note, if mixing with pasta, definitely use extra olive oil to help it spread. See original recipe for pasta directions.

Hummus

Very easy to prepare and tasty to eat. MM always doubles the garlic. I prefer less bite.

• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3-4 T lemon juice
• 3 T tahini
• 1/4-1/2 t salt
• cayenne pepper (or black pepper or cumin)

1. Dump beans, SOME of the liquid, garlic, juice, tahini and salt in blender. Blend.
2. Taste. Add more bean liquid, lemon juice, tahini, and/or salt to taste.
3. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with cayenne.
4. Eat with carrot sticks or as spread on sandwich.