How To Eat Split Peas If Not As Soup?

When temperatures drop, we make lots of homemade soups including split pea, lentil and bean. However, several of my friends and neighbors are pea soup haters, so we can’t share a batch and end up eating pea soup a day or two longer than we wish. Split peas are a rich source of protein, fiber, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Although I like its creamy texture, after my last batch I began to wonder what else could I do with split peas?

 It turns out, cooked split peas can be turned into nutritious dips, pesto or mixed with avocados to add protein to guacamole. Dips, pesto and guacamole are dangerous as we usually eat much more than a single serving! The dish I’ll try is an easy and chunky split pea salad -- food to chew!

Split Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup green split peas, cooked

2 cups water

1 large chicken or any flavor bouillon

2 cups of chopped plum tomatoes (or any variety)

14 oz corn, cooked

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup organic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon or brown mustard

2 teaspoons or garlic to taste - fresh or dry powered work.

1 teaspoon or black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

A sprinkle of soy sauce

More salt if needed after a taste.

1-2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

1) In a pot on the stove top bring the water and bouillon to a boil, then pour in the dry split peas. Cook uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes until the water evaporates. Remove the cooked peas to cool. With a shorter cooking time, they will soften without disintegrating into soup.

2) Toss all the vegetables and spices into to a big salad bowl and incorporate.

Optional step: If you want to get fancy, garnish with shredded extra sharp cheddar and chopped parsley.

Eat at room temperature or chill. Add brown rice, pasta, or quinoa for a complete protein and meal.

Split pea soup is healthy, filling and comforting. I’ll still make it this fall and winter, but I also look forward to trying something new, split peas not turned into a soup. The pea haters of the world don’t know what they’re missing.😋

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The Best Sizes of Food Containers

Bormioli Rocco Quattro Stagioni Glass Milk Bottle 33.75 Ounce/1 Liter with Airtight Lid

In recent years I’ve become super orgainized. I tend to buy larger sizes of foods you might consider staples such as 4 lbs - 5 lbs of flour, sugar, dried legumes and sometimes pasta. I dislike having a job before starting a job, so having a little extra in storage containers means I can decide to make bean, lentil or pea soup without having to go to the supermarket. The same with baking, I never lack the flour or sugar to make pizza dough or a coffee cake if I get a craving or a visitor.

The 3 most useful shapes and sizes of food storage containers that fit most compactly into a pantry, refrigerator or freezer may surprise you!

1) 1 liter sized glass milk bottles - I discovered Bormili Rocco Quattro Stagioni Glass Milk Bottles with airtight lids at T.J. Maxx. Initionally, I only used them to store milk, eggnog, juice, Kombucha, i.e., liquids. But the mouth is wide enough for dried beans, peas, lentils and many pastas, and they take up less space than 32 oz canning jars, which are another great type of food storage containers. Had I considered compactness though, I’d have bought more of these than canning jars. The milk bottles are more versatile and can be lined up side by side inside a cupboard. 

2) Large (about 1 gallon) rectangle storage containers - They fit enough potato salad, cole slaw, guacamole or slices of an entire coffee cake to feed a family, but take up less room in your refrigerator or freezer than round or oval shaped contrainers. You could invest in glass or hardy plastic, but the takealong lighter plastic ones hold up surprisingly well for less moola.

3) Half cup Rubbermaid containers - When I got 8 of these as part of a set I thought it was a ripoff, but you’d be amazed at how many times they are the right size for condiments or leftovers. They also stack and snap together which is a useful space-saving function.

After I pack leftovers from a home cooked meal, I always think one day someone will design a more storeage efficient refrigerator! I notice flatter rectangles that hold a good portion of food fit better inside a refrigerator than round containers. When you get the black bottom containers or the plastic round ones for free with other food you buy, reuse them as they’re great for leftover soup or beef stew. 

Today I’d always aim to get shallow rectangle-shaped containers as the best space-savers for storage. You can stack them up!

Like-foods organized in (too thin for shoes but just right for a freezer) plastic shoe boxes bought at Walmart

If you’d like to add other space-saving-tips or brands for storing food in a cupboard, pantry, refrigerator or freezer, please comment.

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Rita Fox Makes Pineapple Soup

All Photos: Rita Fox

I publish more recipes over the summer than the rest of the year likely because of the fresh produce available and social events that happen during the long extended daylight hours. It makes many of us want to try new recipes! When my friend, Rita, sent me her mouthwatering photos of a batch of her Pineapple Soup, I asked if I could share them on THE SAVVY SHOPPER, and she said yes!
             

The recipe comes from a cookbook, “Taste of Home Best Church Supper Recipes" Rita picked up from a church yard sale.

Ms. Rita Fox has made other appearances on THE SAVVY SHOPPER because she’s a great cook, baker and is multi-talented!

Looking for an entertaining summer read? Rita is a romance writer with fans all over the world. Connect with author, Kally Masters, on FB. What’s more, she has published a winning cookbook of family recipes. I highly recommend checking it out too.

 

For the record, I've never heard of a fruit soup. What a healthy and versatile recipe! An ideal way to use ripe fruit, turn it into a refreshing drink (virgin or alcoholic ... you don’t have to tell), or a delicious summer dessert!

Rita made a big batch of her pineapple soup as easy nutrition for her 94-year-old mother. With her mother’s large family of adult children, in-laws and grandchildren ... and a 93 degree F summer day, I bet real money, it will not last long!🍍

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Meet Your New Friends: Legumes

photo: all over

Lately I've become quite the lazy cook. After years of preparing dinner, I just don't want to wash a sink full of pots and pans on a daily basis. Most of the people I know prewash greasy pans by hand before loading them into a dishwasher. I do the same when I have access to a dishwasher. In Manhattan I don't wish to lose a cupboard to install a dishwasher. Also I have a big sink so if I start a prewash, I might as well finish the job with an extra wash and multiple raises.

 

Lately Legumes have become my easy-peasy dinner staples. Into the CrockPot they go. I've started to toss in brown rice and mixed vegetables for a complete dinner. A stock pot on a stovetop works equally as well. You just can't forget about the latter!

Although rice combined with legumes (beans, split peas or lentils) form a complete protein, meat eaters can top the chunky-stew-like-soups with diced smoked ham or smoked turkey. A side of whole grain crackers or crusty bread can complete the meal. Texture is as important as spices in dishes to make food more satisfying. A few sides or condiments of choice are the way to go!

According to Healthline, here are 9 Healthy Legumes to Eat - Be sure to click on the link to read the full nutritional value of each legume. You'll learn that legumes are good sources, not only of protein, but fiber and minerals too. What's more, I'll link you to recipes in how I often eat each legume.

1) Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans - 269 calories per cup with 14.5 grams of protein. I don't make this one homemade but buy it: hummus. When I can't make a dish better or cheaper than readymade, I buy it.

2) Lentils - 230 calories per cup and 17.9 grams of protein. 

Lentil soup recipe here. An alternate recipe is: 16 oz dried lentils, 1o cups water, 4 large chicken bouillon cubes, 1 cup brown rice, 12 oz mixed vegetables, chopped celery, and chopped onion. Spice to taste - garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaf, soy sauce, etc. 

3) Peas - 134 calories per cup with 8.58 grams of protein. Split pea soup. You can also make split peas using the hearty lentil soup recipe in #2. It's as delicious yet creamier.

4)  Kidney beans - 225 calories per cup with 15.3 grams of protein. I like to use kidney beans in chili. 

5) Black beans - 227 calories per cup with 15.2 grams of protein. Here is a no name salad I make. Feel free to name it.:)

6) Soybeans - 298 calories per cup with 31.3 grams of protein. For soybeans, I buy tofu to add to miso soup or another meatless dish. Tofu has no flavor of it's own which makes it versatile.

7) Pinto beans - 245 calories per cup with 15.4 grams of protein. I like pinto beans, but frankly use beans interchangeably: kidney, pink, pinto, roman, or navy. My Mother's bean soup was always navy bean soup, but I'm not faithful to one bean.:) Whatever's in my cupboard goes into the pot. Bean soup. Pasta e Fagioli.

8) Navy beans - 255 calories per cup with 15 grams of protein.

9) Peanuts - 414 calories per cup with 18.9 grams of protein. Sometimes we do eat peanuts as a snack, but more often in the form of peanut butter. Here's how I make peanut sesame noodles, a popular quick dinner in my home.

Additionally, I toss lima beans into beef stew, and I like butter beans. My mom didn't make butter beans for dinner. Country people did. Good with potatoes or cornbread! Cornbread and butter beans are a complete protein. 

Take it from me -- a lazy cook need not turn into an unhealthy cook. Legumes are packed with nutrients and are relatively inexpensive. Add some to your diet with the guaranteed approval of both your doctor and your wallet.

 If you, too, are sometimes a lazy cook, save the meat as a topper for your soup: The payoffs: 1) You won't have to wash a greasy pot; 2) you can serve vegetarians and carnivores from the same batch; 3) leftover meatless dishes have a longer refrigerator life. Of course you can also freeze your leftovers. 4) I like to buy smoked deli ham or turkey to top soups and you save the flavors which don't disperse into your batch of soup.

In the USA our recent tariffs --  extra taxes on all consumer goods -- are driving up the cost of food and everything else not made in the USA. Retailers must now pay an extra tax (or tariff) when goods enter the country then they pass the tax onto customers in the form of higher prices. What? You think merchants are going to absorb extra taxes? Often small businesses can't afford to and will close if customers won't pay more either. Small businesses don't have the capital (or time it takes) to build factories to make the cheaper goods we get from China or Southeast Asia. Moreover the USA doesn't have the climate to grow certain food like bananas or coffee, or cocoa beans (chocolate) -- the reason we import them. Trade is what makes the USA prosperous, and consumers are great at setting prices. It's the cost we are willing to pay at the supermarket or elsewhere.

So my dear peeps, hang in there, and bon appetite on the cheap!😉😋😂

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I Love My New Bowl Cozy

Despite her busy life, my friend and schoolmate, Teresa, sews Bowl Cozies in her spare time. Recently a group of us classmates had a fun Saturday lunch chatting and catching up in her beautiful home. When we were leaving to return to our homes, she gave us one of her Bowl Cozies. Perhaps I'm the last person on earth who didn't know of their existence, but instantly I fall in love with them! They are so darn cute and useful. In addition to preventing burns while carrying a hot bowl of soup, the cozy keeps the soup warm for a longer period of time. When not in use, bowl cozies look super adorable sitting on your kitchen counter. Your house, co-op, or apartment becomes a home!

In life there are always new things for me to discover, but the knowledge that my friend, Teresa, is a women with many talents and a warm heart, is not one of them! The old saying, "If you want something done, ask a busy person," applies to her.

Our school must have done many things right. My schoolmates are a cool bunch of women. You feel proud to know them!😍😎

🥕🥕🥕My Impromptu Crock-Pot Soup🧅🧅🧅

Ingredients: 

frozen butternut squash, 10 oz 

frozen mixed vegetables, 12 oz

1 large onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 can pinto beans (Use any bean.)

7 cups water

2 large chicken-tomato bouillon cubes (Use any bouillon flavor or stock. If you use bouillon cubes, no need to add salt.)

1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf
1/4 cup of organic cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
a sprinkle Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cups of brown rice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

This is a forgiving soup, use vegetables and the starch of your choice. Feel free to make the soup with whatever you happen to have, fresh, frozen or leftover. Spice as you like it, and the soup cooks as well on a stovetop.

Directions:

1) Toss everything but the brown rice into a Crockpot and let cook on high for 4 - 5 hours.

2) Add the brown rice and cook for another 2- 3 hours. Although I didn't time it, avoid over cooked rice by tossing it in later. I also thought about diced raw potatoes, but went with the rice. Less work! :)

3) After the green beans, celery and rice are tender, dip some of the liquid out into a cup, let it cool, and mix it with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to add back into the Crockpot and cook for a final hour.

After thickening, it is ready to eat. You can top the soup with diced smoked ham if you wish. Brown rice with beans are a complete protein if you decide to eat lighter by skipping the meat.

 Bon appètit!

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Are You A CrockPot Cook?

Years ago, friends were always telling me to buy a Crockpot, so when I saw a discounted Wolfgang Puck slow cooker on Overstock, I bought it. I learned 2 valuable lessons: 1) Never buy products with celebrity chef names. Mine died soon after the purchase; 2) In Manhattan, I don't need a slow cooker. I can cook everything on my stove/oven with the pots and pans I already own. So when Wolfgang Puck's space hug went kaput I said good riddance and never looked back!

Photo: iStock

That is until recently when ...

I bought a Crockpot for when I cook meals for my mother outside of Manhattan. When not in my well-stocked Manhattan kitchen, it is handy for meals I normally need all 4 stove burners and oven to prepare.

I recommend sticking with the original Crockpot brand. It gets hotter than its competitors, up to 450°F, so you can cook dinner faster than at most slow cooker speeds. Whole chicken, beef, or pork roasts fit better inside the oval-shaped slow cookers.

I think in the suburbs, a Crockpot is great for entertaining friends. You can cook hearty one-pot dinners such as a beef stew, roast chicken with potatoes and carrots, meatloaf, or hearty soups without having to leave your friends sitting on the couch while you spend time in the kitchen tending to the food. Furthermore, you can leave the setting on warm for still moist second portions. Later, the cleanup is a breeze too! The lift-out pot is dishwasher safe.

In Manhattan, we usually don't entertain a lot of people at one time.

Planning is everything. I would never host a party without enough space, food, or seats for everyone invited. I've been to some of those city soirées. As you can imagine, such a gathering isn't a lot of fun! You can't mingle or get over to the food and drink.

With this 7-quart Crockpot, you could have up to 6 people for dinner. I leave the space and a comfortable seating arrangement for you to figure out.😁

So far in the Crock-Pot, I've made my pea soup, adding 1 cup of brown rice, a 12-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and 4 extra cups of water to the recipe, turning the soup into a one-Crock-Pot meal. I ate my soup vegetarian style and topped my mother's soup with smoked deli ham. With protein, carbs, and vegetables covered, it's lazy cooking that gets the job done!

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6 Canned Produce I Like

Most of us would agree there's no comparison of taste between farm fresh fruits and vegetables and canned or even frozen produce. Living in a city, I buy plenty of frozen vegetables because food experts tell us they are frozen soon after picking and retain their nutrients. It's a compromise I make since frozen is more convenient though less scrumptious than farm fresh.

But guess what? There are canned foods I don't mind or like better than their fresh, or refrigerated, or frozen versions. I'll list 6 of them below.

6 Canned Produce I Like:

1) Sauerkraut - Canned sauerkraut isn't as raw as it is bagged and refrigerated at the supermarket. Still sufficiently sour yet not as intensely sour or crunchy as unblanched bagged sauerkraut.

2) Refried beans - I see little difference in taste or texture between canned beans and dried beans you soak and tenderize yourself. With refried beans, I like the convenience, and unless you cooked a huge amount, the extra cost of buying them canned is minor. For soups or sometimes chili, I will use either canned or dried beans depending on how much I'm making.

3) Pumpkin, puree - Who in their right mind would unseed, clean, cook, and scrape the flesh out of a fresh pumpkin to use in a dish? Oh, the many steps and mess!😳

4) Tomatoes, whole plum, diced, or crushed for cooking - Cheap and you have the same consistency every time when making sauces.

5) Pineapple, diced - Since pineapples don't grow outside of Hawaii or South America, it is doubtful I have ever eaten a fresh one, so I opt for the convenience of canned pineapple. I don't detect enough of a difference after cleaning and cutting up a whole pineapple that may (or may not) be fresh after it arrives at the supermarket.

6) Spinach - This one is debatable. I do prefer fresh spinach and buy it to use as a dip, pizza topping, part of a salad, or to add to soup, but since a 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach cooks down to nothing in seconds, I also buy canned spinach to eat as a side dish. The taste and texture of canned spinach is fine, plus there seems to be more of it in a can than in a bag. In Manhattan you can't buy a bushel of fresh spinach, or grow it sans a plot of soil, so it's another compromise I make.

So there you are, my list of 6 foods I buy and like canned. Often our sense of taste is subjective. Is there any produce you would add or subtract from my list as unedible? Let's discuss... it's all in fun.🌴

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Inspired By Southern Living's Million Dollar Soup

Let me start by linking you to the photo credits and recipe of the soup 👆 that inspired my recipe. The original is called Million Dollar Soup by Southern Living. Looks delicious, doesn't it? But! It's too many steps and calories to become part of my repertoire. To stay healthy, I consume bacon and cream as occasional treats, but lighter fare most of the time. 

Lighter dishes can be tasty too, and once you form the habit of eating healthy you crave healthily. My inspired recipe is a totally different soup that shares many of the same ingredients as its cream, bacon, and kale inspiration. Make my soup when you have leftovers, such as butternut squash or chicken. Without leftover chicken toss sliced frankfurters into the pot:

Leftover Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Spinach Soup aka, Billion Dollar Soup😉

Ingredients:

2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cubed (or use 3 - 4 grilled chicken or turkey or beef
frankfurters) 

1/2 cup of grilled ham, cubed

1 onion, diced

1 cup celery, sliced

a minced garlic bulb or 1 teaspoon of dried garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups cooked butternut squash, cubed (Take a raw butternut squash, put a slit in it with a knife, and microwave it if you don't have leftovers.)

3/4 cup of dry white wine (if I don't want to open wine, I add a tablespoon of organic cider vinegar for taste)

5 cups water

2 large chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon of black pepper (24 turns of the peppermill)

1 15 oz can of beans (navy, cannellini, pinto, pink, i.e., whatever you have in your cupboard)

a dash of Worcestershire sauce

a dash of soy sauce

3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

2 cups of spinach (or substitute 1 cup of mixed vegetables, if you wish. Feel free to polish off your leftover vegetables. Soup is great for this.)

Optional: I'd add a cup of corn kernels to the soup whenever I had some for the texture. It plays nice with the rest of the ingredients.

Directions:

1) Brown the ham, onions, and celery (and if using, sliced chicken turkey, or beef frankfurters) in a skillet, not to cook, but for 5 - 6 minutes to bring out their flavor. After grilling, toss them into a stockpot.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients (except the spinach) to the stockpot. Season with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and a tablespoon of cider vinegar (if you skip adding white wine). I like to add a dash of red pepper flakes for a hint of heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1/2 hour.

3) After the vegetables are tender, thicken the soup with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water and pour into the soup while stirring. Let this simmer for another 5 minutes to cook the flour and thicken the soup. {If for any reason, you wish to thicken your soup without adding flour, you can put some of your cooked beans into a blender, then return them to your pot of soup.}

4) You can taste and add more seasoning as needed.

5) Turn off the heat and drop a handful the fresh spinach into the soup. Cover with a lid to sit for another 5 minutes. The spinach will cook in the hot soup. (Frankly, I like spinach better than kale, but feel free to use either. Kale requires more cooking time.)

Dip out into soup bowls, and pair it with hearty, crusty grainy bread and a smear of butter, brie, cream cheese, hummus, teawurst, or whatever you like. Alternatively, you could make buttery-garlic bread crumbs for the soup. The choice is between you and your waistline.

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