Split Pea and Cruciferous Veggie Soup

A juice cleanse can be costly. As an alternative, load up on brightly colored fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans to ensure your body has everything it needs to do its own version of detoxifying, says Brigitte Zeitlin, a dietitian at B-Nutritious. The antioxidants activate liver enzymes that eliminate harmful substances, so our body can get rid of them more easily. If you drink plenty of water, eat clean, cut back on sugar ~ and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, you won't need a cleanse.

Eating healthy soups is a great way to incorporate veggies into your diet. This Split Pea & Cruciferous Veggie Soup is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber to assist you in getting rid of toxins and waste.

When I created this recipe, my goal was to make it healthy ~ I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much my family loves it! Even if you aren't crazy about the taste of some of the vegetables, you'll be surprised how well they taste together in this delicious ~ and totally healthy ~ soup! Happy and healthy eating to your family from mine♥️

Freeze extra and thaw, as needed, for other dishes or salads.

Ingredients:

• 20 ounce bag dried green split peas
• 10 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Original no-salt seasoning (or seasoning of choice)
• Roughly cut-up vegetables for food processor:
• 2 cups Brussels Sprouts
• 2 cups Cauliflower
• 2 cups Collard Greens
• 2 cups turnips
• 1 cup bok choy
• 1 cup watercress
• 1 cup rutabaga
• 1 1/2  cups carrots, peeled and  cubed
• 1 1/2 cups celery, stringy areas peeled; and cubed 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and prepare vegetables.
2. Place first 5 ingredients in large soup pot; bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. While peas are cooking, add each group of vegetables (except carrots and celery) to food processor separately; and pulse until almost smooth. Set aside.
4. After peas have cooked for at least 30 minutes, strain them, and place liquid back in pot. Put peas in food processor and puree. Place pea mixture back in pot.
5. Add pulsed vegetables, carrots, celery, salt and pepper to pot. Bring back to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, an additional 30 - 40 minutes, or until carrots are soft.

Freeze extra and thaw, as needed, for other dishes or salads.