Meatless Fridays

This soup is perfect for cold days and lean budgets. It's also perfect for children who will NOT eat traditional split pea soup due to the color! Feel free to add other vegetables (kale or roasted peppers) and spices (curry powder) to your taste.
This week's Meatless Friday meal is:

Golden Split Pea Soup

6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water, plus more if needed
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups dried yellow split peas
1/2 t. salt, plus more to taste
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. ground red pepper
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Place the broth, water, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in a large stock pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the dried split peas, turn down the heat, and simmer for 35-35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the peas are very soft. Add the salt, cumin, red pepper, and black pepper. Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, mash the peas for about 3-5 minutes, or until the soup is creamy, adding more water as necessary. (Alternatively, you can choose to puree a little more than half of the soup in a blender and then mix it with the un-pureed portion.) Add more salt and pepper to taste.