VEGAN SPLIT PEA SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons Olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 2 carrots, chopped
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 3 bay leaves
  
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
  
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
• 1/2 cup fresh sage, minced, divided
  
• 2 cups yellow or green split peas, soaked overnight
  
• 8 cups vegetable stock
  
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, roasted
  
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serves 6 to 8
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Drain the peas and rinse in cold water. 
   
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until soft. 
   
3. Add carrots, crushed garlic, bay leaves, smoked paprika, thyme, turmeric and half of the sage. 
   
4. Stir and saute for 10 minutes, then add in the split peas and stock. 
   
5. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the peas are soft and falling apart, around an hour depending on how old your beans are.
   
6. Remove the bay leaves. 
   
7. Squeeze the flesh from the roasted garlic bulb and add it to the soup pot with the liquid smoke. 
   
8. Add the remaining sage, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
   
9. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup (consider pureeing only a portion). 
   
10. If it is too thick, feel free to add more stock, especially once it thickens as leftovers.

This is a completely meatless version of Split Pea Soup, traditionally in the Caribbean the soup is made using inexpensive cuts of Pork.