Split Pea, Black Lentil, and Sweet Potato Soup

Well, I can now officially say from personal experience that an EMG/nerve conduction study is Not Particularly Fun. When Zach and I were first shown to the room where the test would be performed, I gestured towards a metal instrument, giggled nervously, and jokingly said "I wonder if he's going to shock me with that cattle prod thing?" - assuming that the medical industry was sufficiently sophisticated to pay at least some attention to equipment aesthetics for the sake of patient reassurance. During the course of my tour of duty in the medical field thus far, I've encountered purple walkers, pink exam gloves, and cheerily bright blue IV pumps, all adding a bit of joy de vivre to otherwise difficult circumstances. I was thus confident that even though a was to be "lightly shocked with an electrical current" during my procedure, surely the instrument in question would at least look mild and unassuming in nature. Apparently my faith in medical equipment design was misplaced, however, because I soon discovered that the doctor was indeed going to shock me with the aforementioned large metal prongs... while simultaneously inserting needles into my spine. As I said, less than pleasant...

The upside, though, is that my test results were normal! I'm allowing myself to breathe a minuscule sigh of relief, although the harsh reality is that the more tests return normal while my symptoms continue to worsen, the more obscure and possibly serious the potential diagnoses become.

Naturally, then, I've been gravitating towards comfort foods lately... For me, soup is the ultimate comfort food - nourishing, warm, creamy, soft, soothing, and often a complete healthful meal all in one bowl. Even though we haven't been having the torrential snows our northern friends are experiencing, it's been chilly enough for me to long for the warming, smokey depths of lentils and beans, and to also long to send a soup pot full of steaming comfort to my friends who are surrounded by snow...

Split Pea, Black Lentil, and Sweet Potato Soup

4 T light, nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup green split peas
1 cup black lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 bay leaf

~ In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute the onion and celery in the light vegan marg until the onions are limp and translucent.
~ Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the green split peas and the black lentils until they're nicely coated with the onion and celery mixture.
~ Stir in the broth, water, sweet potato cubes, and bay leaf, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
~ Cover, reduce the heat to low to keep the soup at a simmer, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure the lentils aren't sticking to the bottom (If the lentils do begin to stick, you may need to add some more broth or water).
~ When the split peas, lentils, and sweet potatoes are tender, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve in a nice big cozy bowl! :-)

On the blog this time last year... Everything Cookies!