A Special Soup Sunday

Last night, I babysat two adorable little girls. It was just where I wanted to spend my time, listening to the thoughts of Sutton (2) with plump baby May (4 months) in my arms. Toward the end of the evening, after dinner and baths, Sutton snuggled up next to me and said, "I missed you Mimi." Sutton isn't very talkative, so I cherished her words.

I came home very content after my evening of babysitting. As I pulled up to my place, I decided to check the mail, which usually consists of a NC pay stub and a few advertisements on Saturday. This time, one more very important envelope sat in mailbox 2223, my acceptance to Brody School of Medicine!

I immediately started crying, and then I sat on my front stoop for about 4 minutes re-reading the letter. Then I, of course, called my parents. It's been a long road...dozens of hours of required science courses, 3 MCAT tests (2 too many), 2 Kaplan courses, 3 years of applying, thousands of dollars in AMCAS submissions and secondary applications, 100's of volunteer hours, many disappointing moments...and here I am, with my metaphorical foot in the door and through the first hoop required to be a doctor. And I will be a doctor, but not just any kind of doctor. I'll be a compassionate one who will care about people in the community...and not just the ones who can afford the insurance.

Now for Soup Sunday: I had this one recipe that I was saving until I got into school, because it would be a splurge in both finances and calories. $10 Camembert cheese melted over a rosemary pasta, can you think of anything better? But I didn't plan for this recipe when I ate approximately a block of cheddar cheese in my Macaroni yesterday. So here I am, putting the Camembert cheese recipe to the side for another special occasion and turning to Split Pea Soup.

This recipe is for my Asheville loves, as I know I haven't been favoring them lately with all the animal ingredients. Enjoy!

Vegan Split Pea Soup
allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried split peas
1/2 cup barley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
7 1/2 cups water + more as soup cooks
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 potato, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large pot over medium high heat, sauté the oil, onion, bay leaf and garlic for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add the peas, barley, salt and 7.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add water as soup begins to thicken.
Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, basil, thyme and ground black pepper.

Simmer for another hour, or until the peas and vegetables are tender. (Continue to add water to reach desired thickness.)