Split Pea Soup

The first time I experimented with split pea soup was in college. I made the decision to pursue a vegetarian lifestyle when I was a freshman, so, as one might imagine, my culinary options were vastly limited. It was great, initially.  SALAD AND CAKE FOR EVERY MEAL. CAKE IS ALWAYS VEGETARIAN! No guilt from a giant slice of cake because I ATE SALAD LIKE A BOSS. ERRYDAY WAS CAKE DAY.

Eventually, I got sick of that. I moved on to pb&j sandwiches, cereal for lunch, rice and cookies for dinner. And then I realized they had a soup section most of the time. I actually remember the day I tried split pea soup for the first time. It was raining. I was damp and miserable, worn out and worn down from a winter quarter filled with SCIENCE. My freshly minted physics notes were wet, thanks my despondent ambling back and forth across campus.  When wandering through the dining common, searching for something to warm my cold bones and keep me full enough to last until my next meal, I lingered in front of a hotel pan filled with suspiciously colored split pea soup. I decided to take the plunge.

It was satisfying, warm and deceptively delicious. I was won over.

The soup I made tonight was definitely tastier. I used a recipe from 101 Cookbooks, where it's explained far better than I could ever hope to.