[freshmanweightorbust]

Yeah, so I was puttering around in the kitchen, inventing a batch of veggie burgers (they turned out great, and only 45 calories per patty!) and I cooked up a whole bag, one pound, of split peas, thinking I would use them in the veggie burgers. I forgot about them , and while the 'burgers' are baked and tucked away in the freezer for later, the split peas are sitting in the pot in the frig, mocking me. Has anyone got any good recipes that use cooked split peas? I hate to waste good food, but I have no idea how to use these things other than to make a soup of some kind, and I've never had pea soup... help? Any easy recipe for one or two servings would be great, it's only me here that's going to eat them. Thanks!

[geoblewis]

Actually, split pea soup is delicious, and one of my favorite comfort foods. So here's a recipe for Greek Split Pea Soup.

I'm assuming the peas are softened but not completely melting yet, which is what is required for the soup

2 pounds of the cooked split peas
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup of olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
3-4 cups of water

Rinse the peas well, then put them in a large pot with the olive oil, vegetables, herbs, seasonings and water. Bring to a boil. Foam may rise to the top. This is normal and will disappear as the soup cooks.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every so often so the peas don't stick to the bottom. When the soup thickens and the peas are very soft, remove from heat. (If more water is needed, add boiling water.)

Allow soup to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Puree with or without carrots:

Serves 6-8. I like it with some whole grain crackers, feta cheese and a nice green salad.

Here are some links to other split pea recipes. I've never tried them, but that's never stopped me from eating anything before!

Cold split pea salad - http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recip...?recipe=309208

Turkey, rotini and split pea salad - http://www.farmbuilt.com/lentils-pea...-pea-salad.asp

Ginger, split pea and vegetable curry - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sp...ble_curry.html

Georgia

[ringmaster]

Can you share the veggie burger recipe? Thanks.

[freshmanweightorbust]

Verggie burgers:

1 cup dry barley
2 cups water
~boil two minutes, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, maybe 20-30 mins?
in another pot, steam or boil a few cups frozen mixed vegetables, drain and place in food processor with one can drained mushrooms,a handful of black olives, and a generous teaspoon minced garlic. I also added a couple of green onions. Pulse all until well mixed and broken down, but not turned into a paste or anything.

When the barley is done, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine well with 2 beaten eggs and 3/4 cup bread crumbs with plenty of Mrs. Dash and black pepper.

With a cup of warm water nearby to occasionally wet down your hands, form into patties (I scooped out 1/4 cup portions with a measuring cup to make it all more uniform) and bake at 350 degrees F for fifteen or twenty minutes. Made 16 1/4 cup patties.

******************

I had never made veggie patties before, and had no recipe, so this is just my interpretation of the whole idea. I tried them, and they definitely need to be eaten with some kind of condiment as they are kind of dry. They seem to freeze well, flat on the cookie sheet; I'll move them into a baggie here in a minute. I think when I thaw and reheat them, I might try steaming them, just to see if it improves the texture.

A rough (updated) calorie estimate shows them to be closer to 65 calories each (I forgot to factor in the eggs and bread crumbs before), but that's way better than a hamburger! Although it really didn't resolve the craving for a Burger King veggie burger with mayo, lettuce, and tomato that I wanted so badly yesterday... maybe I'll make a sandwich out one to take to work.

Any suggestions for improving this would be greatly appreciated! The whole process only took about an hour, and most of that was spent hemming and hawing about what I wanted to put in them... and watching the peas so they would not scorch, before forgetting to put them in the patties :blush:

[LindseyLouWho]

You could also try making a sort of pilaf with the split peas. I've done this before with lentils, so I assume it would be pretty similar. I normally cook the lentils and brown rice together, but since your peas are already cooked, just cook the brown rice in chicken or veggie broth, throw in some seasonings, herbs, garlic, bell pepper... whatever sounds good!