Hot Mess

45 minutes on a swing set this weekend had left me with two pancake size bruises on my upper arms. Every time I would come falling down from the upswing, I would let go, slamming in to the sturdy chains.

I was wearing shorts while swinging; the friction of my bare thighs against the soft rubber seat rubbed two huge black marks on my legs.  They have proved nearly impossible to remove.

There is a silver-dollar sized bruise on my left shoulder as well. It’s purple and green. The origin of this mark is unclear.

The faint shadows of the Sharpie scrawled words from my Halloween costume still remain on my back, chest and biceps.

A late night Tuesday, watching the polls and eating too much junk food, has left my chin sprinkled with a beautiful little colony of pimples.

The picture, my friends, it is a bit grim. Sometimes, that is just how it goes. The outside is a little dinged up, a bit ugly, green and gnarly…but oh well. I never said it was going to be pretty all the time.

But just because it doesn’t look so pretty doesn’t mean there aren’t some good things going on. Take, for example, this soup. Look, there isn’t really a way to make pea soup look appetizing, but I keep coming back to it because it tastes so damn good. This variation is is bursting with flavor thanks to the fresh rosemary. As an added bonus, it is super healthy and a snap to make. With the weather as of late, it is filling and comforting without being heavy. I really love how the herbs compliment the peas and the tomato paste and soy adds a bit of depth to a fairly straight forward dish.

So, is it pretty? No…but not everything is at first glance.

Split Pea Soup with Rosemary

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups green split peas
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3 large chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot (3 carrots)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves, divided (about 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, divided
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
4 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth
Salt

Sort and wash peas; cover with water to 2 inches above peas, and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and bay leaf; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, rosemary, paprika, and pepper; cook 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and soy sauce; cook until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Drain peas. Add peas, 4 cups water, broth, and salt to onion mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring often. Discard bay leaf. Place half of soup in blender or food processor; process until smooth. (Or use an immersion blender.)