Easy Whole Wheat Rolls and Split Pea Soup

These yeasted rolls couldn't be any easier--you just stir them up, let them rise, spoon them into a muffin tin, and bake. One bowl, no kneading, and the rise time is pretty quick. Yum! They were also great for breakfast, toasted with butter and jam.

The split pea soup is similarly delicious. It's easy to make it vegan, although I put a knob of butter in with the veggies for flavor. It was very flavorful and I didn't miss the bacon or ham at all. The original recipe says to blend some of the mixture to make a smoother soup, but we liked it chunky. I made this with my sister Anna while she was in town. We added more veggies than called for just because we had them and thought they'd be yummy.

Easy Whole Wheat Rolls (from Whole Foods)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, room temperature and lightly beaten
1 cup white flour

Have all ingredients at room temperature to start. In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour with the sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the milk, butter, and egg. Beat until smooth. Add the white flour, mixing until fully incorporated. The batter should be smooth. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to one hour.

Meanwhile, lightly spray 12 muffin tins with oil. Set aside.

Once raised, stir the batter down. Spoon even amounts of the dough into prepared muffin tins. Allow this to rise until the dough comes just over the top of the muffin tins, about another 45 minutes to one hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Vegan/Vegetarian Split Pea Soup (from Lisa's Recipes; original recipe here)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pat of butter (optional)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stems celery, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 quart vegetable stock
1 1/3 c dried split peas
salt and pepper
lemon wedges (optional)

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot. Add the veggies and thyme and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and peas and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer until everything is tender, about 1 hour. If you'd like a smoother soup, you can puree 2/3 of the soup in a blender and then add it back in. For a chunkier soup, don't worry about pureeing anything. Add a bit more stock if the soup is too thick for your liking.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over top.