MINT GREEN PEA SOUP

Mint Green Pea Soup image

I LOVE to cook soup. Autumn and winter are the perfect time to come up with new soup recipes, and I'm always looking for fresh ideas. My friend shared this recipe with me.I tweaked it to make it my own and fixed it for my grandchildren for Christmas. They aren't big on veggies but they loved this soup! It is so easy to make; sweet and savory, and just delicious with garlic bread. Just a note: some kids don't like mint, so just leave it out. No big deal! Don't be put off by the ingredient list or the steps. I broke it down to try to make it really simple. Hope you enjoy it.

Provided by Sherrill Salom @RedHeadedElfie

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon(s) olive or canola oil
1/2 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine
2-3 clove(s) smashed garlic
4 cup(s) low-salt vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth
1/4 cup(s) fresh mint or 2-3 bags of mint tea
2-3 pound(s) frozen petite peas
1 cup(s) already made mashed potatoes
1/4-1/2 cup(s) extra-light sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt or lawry's seasoned salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon(s) cardamon, ground
1 - medium white, yellow or brown onion, chopped
- small mint leaves for garnish

Steps:

Heat oil/butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large knife; remove the skin and dice. Add onion and garlic to the saucepan. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Add peas, and if using DRY mint from tea bags, the mint. Cover and return to a gentle boil, Cook for 3 minutes until peas are tender but still bright green. IF USING fresh mint, put the mint in now and cook for another 30 seconds or so. NOTE on peas: The more peas you use, the thicker the soup will be. That's why the 2-3 lb thing.
Remove from heat and cool it as quickly as possible to retain the bright green color. To cool quickly, put ice and water in a large bowl or your sink. Put your kettle into the ice water and stir until soup is cool.
Using a food processor or blender, puree in batches until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. At this time, you can either refrigerate the soup for later or heat for immediate serving. If serving right away, ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and mint leaf. If using soy cream or half and half, swirl it through the soup to make a pretty design (if you want to, or...just stir it in!) Serve with fresh French bread or crunchy garlic bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, pretzels, or any kind of cracker.
A few thoughts about kids, food and nutrition: Kids will not eat something if its olive green in color. They just won't.IF you cool the peas quickly as I stated above, they will stay bright green. Your kids will be more inclined to eat the soup. Nutritional Information: 16g fiber; 19g protein; 7.5 g total fat; 29g carbs; 490 mg sodium. Nutritional information is approximate based on the ingredients in the soup.