Split Pea Soup *

This split pea soup is gluten free and soy free (so long as the ingredients you choose do not contain either).

1 lb bag dry green split peas
½ gallon water plus more as needed
3 vegan “chicken” or vegetable bouillon cubes (I use Edward & Sons)
2/3 cup potato flakes (I used Edward & Sons homestyle mashed potatoes)
½ tsp ground black pepper, more or less to taste
¼ tsp liquid smoke flavoring
½ cup carrots, chopped to ¼” pieces
3 large or 4 medium stalks celery, chopped to ¼” pieces

Combine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then cover. Cook over medium-low until the peas are soft and fall apart, stirring occasionally. When finished cooking the soup should be thick and smooth, except for the carrot and celery bits which should be quite soft. Serve hot alongside toasted crusty bread or warm cornbread. Leftover soup may need to have a little water added to it when reheated because it thickens in the refrigerator.

NOTE: If you are concerned about sodium intake be sure to use low-sodium bouillon cubes because the regular ones can be quite salty; this will alter the flavor, though, so if sodium is not an issue for you I do not recommend doing it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting *

I wanted to make a cake that my Grandfather, a big fan of peanut butter cups, would enjoy so I whipped up some chocolate peanut butter frosting. This recipe only makes just enough to spread on the top of an 8x8" cake so if you want to frost the sides or are making a larger cake you will want to at least double it. Because of the peanut butter this won't be as light in texture or get as stiff on the outside as most frosting.

3 TBSP smooth style peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar *
3 TBSP vanilla or plain almond milk
1 TBSP cocoa powder

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and cream together with a fork or spoon. It may help to add 1/2 the sugar and stir it in before adding the second half. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixed instead if you like.

* If you are concerned about finding powdered sugar that was definitely not processed with bone char you can order it on Amazon or try a natural foods shop or Whole Foods.

NOTE: I use gluten free/alcohol free vanilla and smooth "natural" peanut butter with a tiny bit of palm oil in it. I don't know if using alcohol-based vanilla or true natural peanut butter (ie peanuts & salt) will alter the texture or flavor of the frosting.

Peach Sorbet *

It was so nice out today that the sun and the warmth made me want peaches. Unfortunately, it is quite a while until peach season is here and any "fresh" peaches the rest of the year are always unripe and unpleasant. Luckily I have this recipe for peach sorbet and it uses frozen peaches, not fresh!

16 oz bag frozen peaches
2 TBSP agave
1/2 cup + 2 TBSP So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage

Combine the peaches, agave, and about half of the coconut milk in a food processor (use the metal blade for this). Puree the mixture until smooth, periodically stopping to add more of the coconut milk and stir with a spoon. It is best to serve the sorbet right away but it does alright when saved in the freezer for a few hours. If it happens to be too soft putting it in the freezer for a bit will fix that but try not to let it freeze solid or you'll have a large peach pop instead of sorbet.