Spilt Pea Barley Soup

A couple of weeks ago, I had split pea barley soup at Soup Plantation, and it was so good I decided to cook myself up a batch. Of course, mine is way way better.

This takes about 1.5 hours, mostly inactive. Makes enough for at least six starving people.

Ingredients:

1. 6 cups vegetable broth
   
2. 1 + 1/2 cups DRY green split peas
3. 1/2 large onion, or 1 small onion, haphazardly chopped
4. 1 potato, haphazardly chopped
5. 2 carrots, haphazardly chopped
6. 2 cloves garlic, haphazardly chopped
7. 1/2 cups pearl barley

Method:

1. Put ingredients 1-6 in a three quart pot (or a cast iron dutch oven, if you're awesome) and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let it do its thing for an hour.
3. Using your boat motor (immersion blender), blend the soup until it is silky smooth. If you don't have a boat motor, buy one - or - LET IT COOL and then blend it in a blender or food processor in small batches.
4. Return the soup to the pot (if you used a blender), add the barley, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the barley is nice and tender. Be careful here - the soup will be nice and creamy, and will want to burn to the bottom of the pan. Keep your heat low, and stir occasionally.
   
5. Give it a taste, and add salt and pepper as you see fit. Serve with some fresh baked french bread and feel good for making something so tasty and healthy.
6. The leftovers get super thick - just add some water when you re-heat and you'll be back in business.
   

Split peas and barley are super healthy. They have a ton of fiber and protein (and a bunch of other super healthy stuff), so you will be getting a lot of bang for your buck here. Your taste buds, tummy, heart, and intestines will thank you! This soup is also good for diabetics, as the high amounts of soluable fiber helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, whilst providing steady, slow-burning energy. Post-menopausal? Barley works wonders for your cardiovascular health! Best of all this soup TASTES GOOD, and people who hate the idea of eating something healthy will never know what they've gotten themselves into - they'll think they are having some fancy shmancy soup akin to what one might find in a gourmet restaurant. (Little do they know this soup costs about...a few pennnies (if you buy in bulk) per serving! Ha!) Plus, no animals even had to die to make this yummy soup.

This soup kills tons of birds with one stone! Make it, I don't see how anyone could not love it.

Please, no obvious jokes about The Exorcist or Linda Blair. I just don't have the patience for such shenanigans.