Split Pea and Ham Soup

A bit ago my husband and I received Pea Soup Andersen’s dried split peas from the Saslows; the peas were packaged in a cute little cotton drawstring bag with the soup recipe printed on the back. What a wonderful winter gift! If you have not visited one of Pea Soup Andersen’s locations before, I highly recommend that you go. They have all sorts of tasty, tasty dishes beyond pea soup, ranging from sandwiches and salads to steak and chicken. I have visited both of the California restaurants, one in Santa Nella and the other in Buellton, while on roadtrips with family and friends. Each time I found it difficult to decide what I wanted to order (other than the famous soup, of course), since their menus are so big!

The split pea and ham soup provided several great satisfying meals; sometimes I even had a few small bowls as snacks on they days that the weather was particularly chilly. Making this soup also allowed the perfect opportunity to incorporate some of the leftover ham from my earlier post into yet another delicious dish. The meat and spices really added to the soup’s over all flavor, making it even more hearty.

Andersen’s premium selected split peas

Split Pea and Ham Soup
Adapted from the Pea Soup Andersen’s “Soup-in-a-Bag” instructions.

Yields 12 Servings

Ingredients
3 C Dried Split Green Peas*
4 qt Filtered Water, divided
1 Large Stalk Celery, trimmed, coarsely chopped
1 Large Carrot, trimmed, Chopped
1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, skinned, trimmed, chopped
2 – 3 T Minced Garlic Cloves
1 lb Ham, cubed
1 tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
2 Pinches Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Large Bay Leaf
Sea Salt, to taste
Ground Mixed Peppercorns, to taste

Directions
Thoroughly rinse the peas under cool water in a fine mesh strainer. Pour into large stock pot. Cook at a rolling boil with two quarts water for 20 minutes or until peas are tender. Strain through fine mesh strainer.

Return peas to stock pot with two more quarts water. Add vegetables, herbs, ham. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes or until ham is heated through and flavors are blended. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

*For a more colorful soup, you can use a mixture of split peas with half green and half yellow.

Glazed Clove-Studded Ham

The other day at work, someone brought home-baked ham from lunch, which of course only made me crave it, so as soon as I clocked out for the day, I went to the store on a quest. A quest for ham! Well, the first store did not have what I wanted, and the second store did not either. As it was getting later though, I settled on a mostly unflavored precooked spiral-sliced hunk of ham, since that’s all the store carried. Honestly, I was too hungry to make dinner from scratch and bake the ham for several hours. I made sure to check the ingredients on the ham label first to make sure the meat did not contain any allergens or gross chemicals.

Once it was out of the packaging, I studded it with all of my whole cloves at about one-inch intervals. As per the directions, I placed the ham on a foil-lined baking sheet and then covered the ham tightly with more foil. I baked the ham at 350 degrees F for about an hour, which was about 8 minutes per pound.

During the last few minutes of the baking time, I prepared the glaze. To reduce the sugar, I opted to only use half of the sugary spiced glaze mixture, stirring it into 3 tablespoons of water in a sauce pan on low heat until the sugar crystals fully dissolved. I simmered the glaze on low for about two minutes and then brought the glaze up to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.

While the glaze was still hot, I removed the ham from the oven and increased the temperature to 400 degrees F. I carefully spooned the glaze onto the ham, making sure to glaze all whole cut of meat. I set the foil covering aside for post-dinner ham storage, as it was no longer needed for roasting. Once the oven reached the desired temperature, I popped the meat back in the oven to roast for another hour, when the center of the roast reached 120 degrees F. (Remember the ham was precooked, so I was just reheating it and allowing the flavors to meld.) It was nice that the ham was spiral-sliced, so all I had to do was cut the meat in sections from around the bone.

I was so relieved that preparing the ham was so easy. Although I wish I cooked the ham and made the glaze from scratch, this was a nice alternative. I am very glad that there was plenty of leftovers for my husband and I to incorporate into later dishes, such as soup, salad and sandwiches. Most importantly, it was rather healthy and delicious.

Heavenly Ham Sandwiches

I just made awesomely amazing ham sandwiches for my husband and myself. I was raving about it so much, I had to share it with you, too. It was simply that good! It satisfied many of my cravings at once, sweet, savory, salty, fatty, crispy and gooey. Sorry I did not include any pictures below. They did not last long enough to photograph, but I’m sure you can use your imagination.

Despite the bright sunshine of happiness lifting many people’s moods in the North Bay and that many people had today off due to Presidents’s Day, I was feeling tired and a bit run down, so I felt like making myself some comfort food for lunch. I did have half of the day off after all, so I had some time to make a hot lunch at home.

Grilled Ham Sandwiches
I made two versions of the sandwich one for my husband and one for me. For a more balanced lunch, I accompanied them with big green side salads dressed with vinaigrette.

Version 1
1/4 C Fatty Ham Trimmings
OR 1 tsp Bacon Grease
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed
2 Slices Soft Gluten-Free Bread of Your Choice
1 1/4″ Slice of Glazed Ham, enough to cover bread
2 T Shredded Daiya or Dairy Cheese
1 – 3 T Honey or Dijon Mustard

Version 2
1/4 C Fatty Ham Trimmings
OR 1 tsp Bacon Grease
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed
2 Slices Soft Gluten-Free Bread of Your Choice
1 1/4″ Slice of Glazed Ham, enough to cover bread
2 T Shredded Daiya Mozzarella-Style Cheese
1 – 3 Cranberry Mustard

Directions
Melt the Ham fat out of the trimmings for flavor on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Stir again to redistribute the flavors. Add two slices of bread and the ham to the pan. Make sure they absorb some of the oil to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Once the bottoms are a bit browned, flip the bread and ham. Add and distribute more oil as necessary. Sprinkle some cheese onto each slice of bread. Place ham on top. Cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove the lid. Add the mustard. Put the slices together to make a sandwich. Carefully flip the sandwich a few times, waiting about 1 minute in between each flip. Grill until toasted to your liking. Serve. Cool a bit to prevent burning hungry mouths.

Vegetable Ham Medley

Ham medley was a traditional family comfort-food dinner when my brother and I were growing up. It was a baked casserole with peas, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, noodles, cheddar and jack cheese, and cream of mushroom soup. My version is quite different, especially since I have to exclude dairy and wheat from my diet unless I take anti-histamines and digestive enzyme pills for eating assistance, so my body doesn’t freak out and rebel. Instead of a casserole, I decided to make a saute. The pan I used was so huge, it covered two burners; it kind of felt like I was using a flat grill. I think the bigger pan size maybe reduced the cooking time by providing more hot cooking surface area, which meant all of the ingredients came in contact with direct heat the entire time they were in the pan rather than waiting their turn to be moved down to the heated bottom. Any thoughts?

Vegetable Ham Medley
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
9 Garlic Cloves, trimmed, chopped
1 Russet Potato, skins well scrubbed, cut into 1″ cubes*
3 – 4 C Filtered Water, as needed
16 oz Pre-Cooked Ham, cut into 1″ cubes
1 Bunch Broccoli, trimmed, chopped
1 C Fresh or Frozen Green Beans, cut into 1″ lengths
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Italian Medley
2 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar
Sea Salt, ground, to taste
Mixed Peppercorns, fresh ground, optional

*You can substitute the russet potatoes with red or purple potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips or another type of root vegetable. The picture of the browning potatoes is actually of two russets, which was way too much unless you plan on adding more vegetables of other varieties, which I wish I had (I couldn’t run to the store in the middle of cooking), like the ones suggested below.

Directions
In a lightly oil-coated large pan or pot with a lid, saute the garlic and potatoes over medium heat until the garlic is slightly soft. Stir in the water, and deglaze the pan. Place the lid on the pan to steam the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are mostly soft but still a bit crunchy. Add the ham, and stir the mixture occasionally with a wide spatula. Fold in the broccoli, green beans and seasonings**. Stir in more water if you need to. Cover the pan again, and let the medley cook for 10 minutes or until the broccoli and potatoes are soft. I found the fork testing method a little deceiving; sometime even though I could pierce the potatoes easily, they were still crunchy when I bit into one. Testing your vegetables for their “mouth feel” or texture by eating a little piece is always more accurate than poking them with a fork; this method also lets you know if you need any more seasonings, too. Always, always, always taste your food before serving it.

**To prevent moisture from getting into your jars of seasonings, do not shake out the seasonings directly into your steaming dish as you are cooking food. Pre-measure your spices and herbs and put them in small prep bowl, so that you can just add them when you need them. Hosts of cooking shows on television are shown doing this all the time. Plus adding your herbs and spices this way prevents them from clumping together in the jars, crystallizing, going stale or worse, growing mold. Yuck!

Notes: If you want more vegetables in this medley meal, you can also add in a 1/2 cup of stemmed, chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen shelled green peas; a stalk or two of celery, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces; a medium or large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces; a red, orange or yellow bell or mild wax pepper (there are several varieties), stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces;  and/or another root vegetable of your choice chopped into 1-inch pieces when you stir in the broccoli.

If you do decide to use two root vegetables, keep the amount of carbohydrates in mind; you may want to add more vegetables, ham or vegetable protein, like beans, to balance out the nutrients in this dish. You should probably also add more of everything else in, especially since you do not want your dish to taste bland or run out of steaming water.

Breakfast for Dinner!

It is a rare occasion when my husband actually asks me to make something specific for dinner; Wednesday he asked for an egg scramble. At first I felt a bit hesitant, since I can’t generally have eggs unless I only have the whites of cage free or organic ones. It was also strange that he requested red bell peppers, since he usually loathes every variety. He also wanted meat mixed in with possibly some cheese, too. So since he was being decisive ;), I decided to go all out. Yes, I might suffer because of it, but at least it would be delicious and healthy. I have pills for these instances anyway, which take care of most of my issues (just not the sulpher). I really don’t like being an unnecessary pill-popper on a regular basis.

I added lots of herbs though for flavor without a plan in mind; I just chose whatever sounded good and aromas complimented each other. I kept track of what and how much I was adding as I went along though. I don’t usually think about it, but herbs and spices contain many health benefits, like antioxidants, digestives, anti-inflammatory elements and all sorts of good stuff. Using food as medicine is an age old tradition that really works and tastes amazing. McCormick and Fitness Magazine even have webpages on them.

I’ve been wanting to try purple potatoes for a while, ever since I spotted them on Leanne Vogel’s Monster-Mashed Potatoes on her blog, Healthful Pursuit. The color is amazing even after they are cooked. Yea for flavanoids! If you have higher blood pressure, these beauties will really help you lower it. For recipes and more information about purple potatoes, check out the Specialty Produce website. If you have generally low BP like I do, be careful not to eat potatoes too often.

The brown eggs are from local cage-free, free-range chickens; they are healthier and taste better. I chose some leftover Thanksgiving spiral-sliced black forest ham; I eat sulphate and nitrate-free meats, since I can’t digest those chemicals. The kale and carrots were locally grown and bought at the farmers market. The beautiful potatoes were bought at a local organic market. I know the ham and eggs are not vegan, but you can substitute the ham with lentils or something to make the dish vegetarian. I cooked the two dishes simultaneously, but since I knew the eggs required more cooking time, I started them first.

Ham & Eggs with Kale
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Sweet Yellow Onion, peeled, chopped
3-4 T Garlic, peeled, minced
1 Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded, chopped
2 C Spiral-Sliced Black Forest Ham, cooked, chopped*
¼ tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
¼ tsp Black or Mixed Peppercorns, ground
1 C Curly Kale, stemmed, torn into bite-size pieces
1 C Red Kale, stemmed, torn into bite-size pieces
½ C Vegetable Broth, low or no salt
6 Large Eggs, cracked, beaten
1 tsp Herbs de Provence Seasoning
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Large Bunch Carrot Greens, stemmed (about 1 C)
4 oz White Cheddar (Dairy or Non-Dairy), optional shredded garnish

Directions
Heat the oil in a large pan (I love using my cast iron) over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until the onions turn clear. Reduce the heat to low. Add in and blanch the bell pepper, ham, salt and pepper. Stir in the broth. Add the eggs and kale, and cover to cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and mix in the seasonings and carrot greens. Stir the mixture frequently to evaporate the liquid in the bottom, increasing the heat to medium if necessary. Serve and garnish the ham and eggs with cheese.

*You can use beans, lentils or some other protein, if you want to make this vegetarian.

Herbed Carrots & Purple Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Medium Carrots, chopped
4 Purple Potatoes, chopped
¼ tsp Black or Mixed Peppercorns, ground
¼ tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
½ tsp Mesquite Smoke Flavoring, without salt
½ C Vegetable Broth, low or no salt
1 tsp Fenugreek, dried
2 T Parsley, dried
1 tsp Poultry Seasoning
2 tsp Sage & Savory Stuffing Seasoning (Sage, Savory, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Rosemary, Ground Black Peppercorns, Ground Ginger, Marjoram, Red Bell Pepper, Coriander, Allspice & Oregano)
4 Scallions, sliced

Directions
Heat the oil in another (cast iron) large pan over medium heat. Add in the carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper and mesquite, and saute and stirring them for about 1 to 2 minutes, until they become blanched.

Turn the heat down to low, and mix in the broth and dried herbs. Cook the carrots and potatoes with the lid on for about 10 minutes or until they start to soften, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, and add the scallions. Cook the mixture until the potatoes are soft.

I after sprinkled the cheese on my ham and eggs, I mixed both dishes together on my plate to blend the flavors together. It’s tasty this way, but you don’t have to mix them. This is not normally how I scramble eggs; mine usually involve lots of garlic (of course), spinach, fresh or dried cilantro or basil, salsa and Pepper Jack-style rice “cheese”.