Thanks for the Ranch recipe!!
I'll definitely try that next time! As for the 'cheese', I have tried to find Nutritional Yeast and just can't find it at the store!
Here is Split Pea Soup I made over the weekend! IT IS SOOOOOOO GOOD!!! Like restaurant goood.... mmmmmmm....
Thick, Flavorful, Hearty, Split Pea Soup!
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 bag (2 cups) split peas, no presoaking necessary
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 vegetable bullion cube
2 largish potatoes, peeled
2 stalks celery
1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 leek
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons parsley
1 Tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon rosemary
Directions:
Chop all vegetables into small pieces. not microscopic, not bite-sized, but somewhere in between. The carrots can probably be a little bigger because they're there for taste/color, not consistency.
Combine all ingredients in large pot, stir around a bit, cover and gently simmer for about an hour.
Use a potato masher to thoroughly mash everything up. There shouldn't really be major chunks of anything floating around. The potatoes and split peas mashed together will make a nice thick puree. (If you don't have a potato masher, use a large fork, egg beater, whatever you have and beat it vigorously for a few minutes. it'll be fine.)
Cover and gently simmer for about 30 more minutes. throughout the entire simmering process, be sure to add water if needed so that the whole thing isn't sputtering loudly like a stew would. It needs to look watery and soupy, not stewy while it's simmering so that it won't burn. Do not boil!!
Uncover and simmer until enough water has evaporated to desired thickness (make sure to stir it around to get a better idea because all the gloop will sink to the bottom and make the soup look more watery than it actually is). Remove bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste, enjoy!
Serves: 4 HUGE bowls
Preparation time: 20 minutes
(Ok this took me about an hour longer than the recipe said it would take, I also did not use Rosemary, and added a little more of the other herbs & spices)