Split Pea Soup

What you’ll need:

•	2 cups split peas, washed
•	2 bay leaves
•	2 quarts water
•	1 ham bone or chopped ham
•	¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
•	1 cup chopped celery
•	½ tsp. crushed oregano
•	½ tsp. basil
•	1 medium onion, diced
•	1 cup chopped carrots (usually 2 or 3 carrots)
•	½ teaspoon salt (we like to use Kosher or Sea Salt)
•	2 cloves garlic, minced
•	Pinch of cayenne or black pepper

What to do:

1.	Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot on top of the stove. You can also do this in a crock pot, but it will need to cook longer. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least one hour or until split peas are cooked through. Remove ham bone and bay leaves before serving.
**	We like to use a handheld immersion blender to make my soup really smooth. You can pour the soup into your regular blender to smoothen as well. Be sure to vent the top of the blender if you pour hot soup into it to prevent an explosion!
**	If your ham bone has a lot of meat on it, remove it and cut the remaining meat off of the bone and add to soup. OR just add chopped ham as desired.

For more delicious recipes, pick up the book The Hauser Diet™: A Fresh Look at Healthy Living! As with all recipes, practice moderation and portion control.