Sweet and Split Pea Soup with Mint and Clementine

Today’s Sweet and Split Pea Soup with Clementine and Mint post is sponsored by the cookbook “Eat Right for Your Sight™”

I’ve never been a real big fan of split pea soup, but I have to say that this is the best pea soup I’ve ever had. I enjoyed it so much, honestly! It’s filled with a fresh minty flavor and the clementines give it a sweet twist. It’s a perfect soup for the spring that delights my husband and my 2-year-old son. I am so glad that I don’t always have to cook my split pea soup the traditional way with celery, carrots, and thyme. Thanks for the inspiration from the cook book “Eat Right for Your Sight”.

The original recipe uses tangerines. However, I wasn’t able to find any at my local grocery stores in this season, so I used clementines instead. Clementines happen to contain more vitamin C than tangerines, which is better for your sight. After boiling/simmering the split peas in my homemade mushroom vegetable broth for approximately 45 minutes, I blended the soup to a puree by using my hand blender, stirred in the lightly sautéd sweet peas, pealed clementines (membrane removed), and chopped fresh mint sprigs. Last of all, I sprinkled on some fresh green onion and some zest from the clementines. Not only is this soup appealing to your eyes, but also nourishes you eyes as well, for sure.

I have read some cookbooks that use ingredients that are not very common or quite costly. That just makes me less likely to use those recipes. However, most of the recipes from the cookbook, Eat Right for Your Sight, are very simple and practical to make. Most of the ingredients are just ordinary whole foods that you very likely have in your kitchen. The book has large print and contains many amazing and appealing pictures. If you are looking for a cookbook that has simple, healthy, and tasty recipes, this is a good choice. Although it’s not a gluten-free cookbook, I’ve been able to tweak the recipes to fit our dietary needs.

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Sweet and Split Pea Soup with Mint and Clementine

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Tools: 4-quart sauce pan with lid, knife and cutting board, lemon zester or cheese grater, measuring spoons and cups, 10-inch skillet, spatula

Course: Dinner/Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb uncooked split peas
• 2 cups vegetable broth homemade low salt vegetable broth preferred
• 4 cups water
• 1-½ cup sweet peas frozen or fresh
• 2 clementines
• 1 tsp clementine zest
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1-¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbs canola oil
• 1 tbs green onion for garnishing

Instructions

1. Add well-rinsed and drained split peas, vegetable broth, and water into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Watch closely to prevent the split pea foam from boiling over.
2. While the split peas are cooking, use a cheese grater to collect all zest from two clementines (only collect the orange part, not the white part). Peal the clementine. Hold the clementine over a bowl and carefully remove the membrane of each segment without breaking it. Remove seeds if there is any. Set aside
3. Heat a skillet over high heat until it is hot. Add oil and wait until the oil is hot. Approximately 15-30 seconds. Stir in sweet peas and fry for 2 minutes. Use a spatula to stir occasionally. Add chopped mint leaves and clementine segments. Stir gently and try to keep the segments whole. Approximately 1 minute.
4. Remove the cooked split peas from heat and use an electric hand blender to puree the cooked split peas. Stir in the cooked sweet peas, clementines, and mint. Garnish with clementine zest and green onion. Serve warm.

Recipe from Eat Right For Your Sight: Simple Tasty Recipes That Help Reduce the Risk of Vision Loss from Macular Degeneration, By Jennifer Trainer Thompson and Johanna M. Seddon, copyright © American Macular Degeneration Foundation, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.