Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

2 cups split peas (uncooked)	5 cups water
2 bay leaves	1-2 t salt
2 cups carrots, chopped	1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped	2 t thyme
1/2 t pepper	4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil (optional)	2 T lemon juice (optional)

Directions

Stove: Rinse peas. Combine peas, water, salt and bay leaves. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer about 1/2 hour. Add all other ingredients except lemon juice. Add water to cover. Simmer about 1 hour longer. Add lemon juice.

Crock pot: combine all ingredients except lemon juice the night before and store in fridge. Cook on high all day (about 10 hours). Add lemon juice.

Notes

This recipe is from Sonja and William Conner's The New American Diet (pp. 264).

Particularly good with corn muffins.