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Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham

When I want a hearty bowl of split pea soup in a hurry, my pressure cooker is my best friend! Split pea soup is loaded with fiber, and it’s a comforting meal on a chilly night. I usually serve this with a slice of crusty bread, toasted and rubbed with a little garlic.

This soup is also my favorite way to use up leftover ham or a ham bone. It’s super easy, but not always super quick… unless you use a pressure cooker!

Using a pressure cooker cuts the cooking time by less than half and everything always tastes better for some reason. I’ve been using my pressure cooker for years; in South America it is widely popular to make soups, beans, and stews because it’s quick and saves on gas. I own a fancy electric one, but for some reason I still rather use my old stove top Presto.

When making soups and stews in the pressure cooker, very little liquid evaporates, so I usually cut the liquid down a bit. I found a great Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheet^[1] on Pressure Cooker For Dummies, if you own one and are scared of it, you might find this interesting.

I used Better than Bouillon, I love the flavor it adds to soups, but you can use chicken broth in it’s place if you prefer.

A few notes: Today is my 3rd day doing the Holiday Runner’s Streak (run at least 1 mile everyday until the Holidays, see 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World^[2]). It was really hard to get out of bed this morning, but I am happy I got it out of the way. How are you doing, still with me?

Also, now until Dec 2nd, Heather K Jones, RD created a One Month Skinnytaste meal plan (so many of you asked for this!) and is offering a fabulous health tool that will help you tap into the power of your own personality and arm you with the insight you need for ultimate weight loss success. Check out the Diet Type offer on Skinny Bits^[3] this week! The offer includes a jump start meal plan featuring Skinnytaste recipes, and a FREE copy the awesome healthy grocery shopping guide, The Grocery Cart Makeover.

By the way, this soup freezes well, leftovers are perfect for lunch or make a batch for once a month cooking.

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 7
Calories: 254 • Fat: 2 g • Carb: 51.5 g • Fiber: 20 g • Protein: 24 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 694.5 mg (to reduce the sodium use less bouillon)

Ingredients:

1 lb dry green split peas
1 tsp olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 oz reduced sodium ham steak, diced (Boar’s Head)
6 cups water
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon or 1 cube*
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Rinse peas under cold water.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes. Add ham, peas, water, chicken bouillon and bay leaf and bring to a boil. When the liquid boils, cover and lock the lid and continue cooking until the pot reaches pressure, then reduce heat to low and set a timer for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, shut the stove off and let the pressure cooker release the steam on it’s own. When the lid unlocks, adjust liquid if needed, taste for salt and pepper and remove bay leaf. If the soup looks like it should cook a little longer, you can let it simmer covered (unlocked) until it has reached your desired thickness.

To make without a pressure cooker, add 2 more cups water and simmer covered on low for 2 hours.
*Check labels for Gluten Free

References

^{^} Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheet (www.dummies.com)
^{^} 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World (www.runnersworld.com)
^{^} Diet Type offer on Skinny Bits (www.skinny-bits.com)

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Swedish Meatballs and the Most Under Appreciated Celebrity Chef Ever

Whenever there’s a discussion about the history of celebrity
chef pop culture, one name is invariably left out, and this Swedish Meatballs
recipe served as a reminder of that sad fact. How anyone can talk about the
pioneers of food television without including the Swedish Chef from the Muppets
is beyond me.

His frenetic energy and charisma makes Gordon Ramsey seem
like a shrinking violet by comparison. His technique surpasses Emeril’s on
every level, and if we’re just talking catch phrases, how can you even begin to
compare “Yummo” to “Bork, Bork, Bork?”

Some use the excuse that he wasn’t actually real, that he
was just a bunch of stained, smelly fabric, wrapped around some dude’s hairy
forearm. Well, that may be true, but it goes beyond that. I believe there’s
been a systematic discrimination against Swedish chefs, which has made
advancing upward impossible. I call it the ice ceiling.

Do NOT forget the Lingonberry jam!

Anyway, in related news, these Swedish meatballs rocked!
Unlike most of the recipes I post here, I’ve had little experience with the
recipe, but was very happy with the results, except for one major issue, which
I mention in the video. I broke the cardinal rule of meatball making, and used
lean meat.

Not paying attention, I picked up a package of ground pork
that turned out to be 95% lean. The horror. I might as well have used tofu.
Nonetheless, I loved the flavor, but implore you to use regular ground beef,
and ground pork with a 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio. Do that, and you’ll be enjoying
a plate of meatballs even the world’s most under appreciated celebrity chef
would love. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

For the meatballs:

2 tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

pinch of cayenne

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground pork

*Note: you can always cook a little piece to taste for salt,
and adjust from there.

Brown meatballs in 425 degrees F. oven for about 20-25
minutes.

For the sauce:

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp
all-purpose flour

3 1/4 cups beef broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

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Pickled Ginger & Asian Pear Coleslaw – "Holiday Slaw" 2012 Edition

I’m not sure when this relatively new tradition started, but for whatever reason, I like to come up with a new and interesting coleslaw to serve at Thanksgiving. With all the rich, heavy foods that the holiday table brings, I really enjoy the contrast these cold, crisp, bracing salads provide.

I’ve been doing this for five or so years now, and this may
be my favorite version. Just adding the always interesting Asian pear to a standard
coleslaw would’ve been a nice enough touch, but what made this so special was
the subtle heat from the pickled ginger.

I can just imagine how great that piquant punch is going to
work with roasted turkey, and while I still have weeks to wait for official
verification, I’m pretty confident. I’m also confident you’ll be able to find
some pickled ginger, especially if you have any sushi bars near you.

By the way, this is not one of those “make the day before”
coleslaws. You want everything fresh and crisp, and if you leave it overnight,
not only will it get soggy, but it will be way over-marinated. You can make the
dressing beforehand, as well as slice up the ginger and cabbage, but wait until
an hour before the dinner to cut the pear and toss everything together.

Anyway, if you’ve never considered a coleslaw for one of
your holiday side dish selections, I hope this unusual, but very delicious
variation inspires you to give it a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 servings:

1/2 small green cabbage, thinly sliced

1 large Asian pear, thinly sliced

1/3 cup finely sliced pickled ginger

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

For the dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 to 1 tsp yellow miso paste, or to taste

hot sauce to taste (I used sriracha)

*Best if tossed together no more than an hour or two before
service.