I have a super secret vegan source of protein that you are probably missing out on. From my picture you can clearly see it's SPLIT PEAS! Split peas have an impressive 11 grams of protein per quarter cup. That is a lot. They are not at all gross, I promise. This soup is a wonderful way to use that leftover Easter ham bone, which is what I did. It gives the soup great flavor. If you don't have a bone you can also just use leftover ham (without bone) and it will taste great too, I've done it both ways. Something else I do is to throw in some extra baby carrots. They will be all nice and tender when the soup is done cooking. My kids love them this way. I know it's not really soup weather in many part of the country but I don't care. I make soup year round because I love it so much. It does taste extra good when the weather is rainy or cold. Just lower your air conditioner for a few minutes and pretend that it is cold out while you devour your soup. Enjoy!

1-1lb package of split peas

1 ham bone with some meat on it

3 large carrots, diced small

1 onion, diced small

3 celery stalks, diced small

2 qts water

1 tsp salt maybe more to taste

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. I usually turn my slow cooker to high the final 2 hours of cooking to make sure that the peas get cooked all the way. Also, I make sure that there is enough water and the soup isn't too thick. Remove ham bone; cut meat off, dice, and return meat to soup.

Makes 8 servings

I must say there is no other way to eat this soup than with a nice big slice of my Cake Like Cornbread. You can find the recipe HERE.