Split-Pea Soup

I had never even heard of split-pea soup, or even split-peas for that matter, until we were out of the country (by the way....we are back in the states now. Yay!). It's not that the natives ate a lot of split-peas, because they didn't, but I personally got into them when I was having some digestive issues. I started eating them once a day for either breakfast or supper. Finally one day my father-in-law heard me talking about split-peas and immediately, memories of him as a boy (in the states) eating his mother's split-pea soup popped into his head. He had no idea how to make it but asked me to try and make some for him. So I did some pinteresting and concocted my own recipe based on what I liked and what I had available. It turned out amazing. Yes, it looks gross -like a baby's blow-out after eating two jars of green beans- but it tastes amazing. 

So the other day I decided to make some for myself and have my mother try it (since she had never had it before) and she was pleased. AND since I had access to other devises and ingredients I 'went to town'. 

By the way:

Split-peas are extremely good for you. In just 1/4 cup of them is AT LEAST 9-10 grams of fiber. They are low in calories, high in protein and vitamins and minerals. Just click on that link and you'll be able to read all about their amazing goodness: Benefits of Split-Peas. 

INGREDIENTS:
*1 bag of dried split-peas
*6-8 cups of water (based upon how thick you want it) -I use 8.
*2 chicken bullion cubes/1 tb of chicken bullion
*LOTS of garlic (minced or powdered)
*seasonings of choice -I used parsley, pepper, sea salt and basically everything in my mother's seasoning cabinet except rosemary. And she didn't have any thyme. -LOL pun not intended.
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
*bacon bits/shredded chicken/or ham + ham hock. -I used low sodium bacon bits.
*1/8cup -1/4cup shredded carrot
*chopped onions -I did not even remotely use onions....but the carrots were great.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CROCK-POT COOKING:
*Dump the entire bag of dried peas into the pot.
*Add water and bullion.
*Add carrots.
*Add all other seasonings and meat and other desired ingredients.
*Cook on low for about 8 full hours stirring occasionally OR on high for 4-5 hours
....over cooking will not ruin the soup in any way.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STOVE-TOP COOKING:
*Add ingredients according to the above instructions and boil/simmer in large pot for 1-2 hours (depending on type of stove). Stir occasionally.

HELPFUL HINT:
*It is unnecessary to smash the peas. If they are cooked long enough then they will naturally become 'mushy'.  -If there is any crunch to your peas then they have not cooked long enough.
*If you prefer to play it safe with your meat, then boiling it before you put it into the soup will not hurt anything.
*It tastes the best the second day after it's been put into the fridge and reheated.