Soup soup soup!

Spilt Pea

Mirepoix - You want equal amounts carrot, onion, celery, totaling  6-8 cups, I usually use:

• 1 BIG onion
• 2-3 carrots
• 3-4 ribs of celery 

Saute this in 1 TBS olive oil until onions are soft and translucent. Then add:

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4-5 cloves of garlic

Stir constantly for a few minutes, until you can really smell the garlic. Then add:

• 9 cups of water
• 3 cups spilt peas

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. (It won't hurt this to cook for a couple of hours, just stir it once in a while). Fish out the bay leaves, puree, ideally with an immersion blender and add:

• 2 tsps salt
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• And a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper

"Orange Soup"

• 5 big carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 big sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 yellow onion, diced or sliced doesn't matter, you puree it all in the end
• 1 cup orange juice
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 cup red lentils
• Water or stock to cover simmering veggies
• Olive oil for sauteeing onions
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent and tender. Add ginger, garlic, red pepper, stir until fragrant. Add veggies, lentils, juice, coconut milk, and enough water to cover it all. cover, simmer about 30 minutes, until the carrots and sweet potatoes are soft. Puree the whole mess with an immersion blender, if you have one (if you don't, get one)! Add salt (probably about 1 1/2 tsps, add it a little at a time to check) and pepper to taste.