Minted Pea Soup

If you like peas, this soup is for you.  It's worth seeking out fresh peas, while they're in season, but you could make this soup in the winter with frozen peas instead.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green peas
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup vegan chicken broth (prepared from Not Chick'n bouillon)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup plain non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1. Combine the peas, lettuce, chicken broth, and onions in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in the milk, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes - make sure to simmer over fairly low heat, or you risk the milk separating a little.

2. Transfer the pea mixture to a blender and let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly.  Process until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sour cream, mint, salt, and white pepper.

Note: if your grocer carries it, try the sour cream from Vegan Gourmet - it's just a bit lighter in calories than Tofutti, and keeps this soup a bit healthier.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (3/4 cup), Calories 133

Tasting Notes:
First off, I was so struck by the preparation for this soup - I've never seen whole romaine lettuce go into the body of a soup before.  It made for a fun experience, and just the right hint of romaine came through with each spoonful.  I highly recommend fresh peas if they are in season, because the flavor just came bursting through.  The soup was so creamy it was almost foamy - yum.  Next time, however, I recommend pureeing the mint with the other ingredients in the blender, as well as increasing the mint.

Rating:
3