Hot dogs make everything better...

When I was little, my mom used to make pea soup with hot dog slices in it.  When I turned 9, and gave up all meat (much to my parents' dismay), my mom dropped that soup from her repertoire.  I still ate soup cooked with meat (chicken soup with matzo balls is still my fave even though I still don't eat meat), but for some reason, the novelty of the pea soup was lost.

I started thinking about that soup this past weekend.  I've had, and made, other vegan split pea soups, but what I was craving was the hot dogs (I know, I'm a strange vegetarian).  I happen to really like Smart Dogs (vegetarian hot dogs), so I decided to buy them and see how they'd fare in the soup.  Since I let the soup simmer for about 2 hours, and since I'd thrown the veggie dogs in at the beginning, they kind of dissolved a little.  I was disappointed since my goal was to have little hot dogs as treats in my bowl (ok, this post is more about me than Henry), but the flavor they added was amazing.  Since I think of pea soup as a pretty kid-friendly dish, I wasn't really surprised that Henry liked it.  I was thrilled, however, when he started frantically motioning at me between bites because he wasn't getting the soup fast enough - I don't think that has happened since he first started eating solid foods! 

Oh, and to satisfy my hot dog craving, I sliced up an extra Smart Dog and threw it in mine and my husband's bowls.  I thought it was perfect. Granted my carnivorous husband said he'd rather a real hot dog sliced in...but he agreed the soup itself was delicious!

Veggie Dog Split Pea Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 pound dried split peas

1 cup barley

1 teaspoon salt

few grinds black pepper (to taste)

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp basil

8 cups water

4 veggie dogs, sliced (keep 1 of the veggie dogs separate)

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and add onions and garlic.  Saute for about 5 minutes.  Then add all the remaining ingredients, except for 1 veggie dog).  Bring to a boil, and then let simmer for about 2 hours.  When done simmering, taste to see if you want more salt and pepper. 

To serve, put soup in the bowl, and then add a few slices of veggie dogs!

Happy and (mostly) healthy eating!