Soup-it's what is for dinner

I was looking around on the internet and came across Lyn's web page. I was looking for something different to cook for dinner that was within my eating program guidelines. I came across this soup that looked a lot like split pea. When I read the list of ingredients I was dubious at first but thought it was worth a try.

It ended up with the mouth feel of split pea and texture too. Definitely will be making this again.
I used cubed ham because that was what I could find but a ham bone would have been better.
Low Carb Split Pea Soup
Start with 4 cups of your best low sodium chicken stock, homemade or otherwise. If you have a ham bone to simmer in this for an hour, that is fantastic (strain and then skim the fat when you're done). If you are using store bought, you probably want to season it nicely with a few shakes of garlic, onion powder, parsley, thyme, and marjoram. You can add ham bouillon too if you like, but watch the salt!

Bring the stock to a boil and add 1 1/2 C. cauliflower (I used raw but frozen is fine) and 1 1/2 cups of frozen green beans. (If using fresh, hold off until you add the ham for these) Cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Then, remove from heat and carefully puree with a stick blender until smooth. If you don't have a stick blender, cool soup to room temp. and use a regular blender and then return to pan.

Add 10 ounces of lean ham. Try to find the leanest, lowest sodium ham possible; cubes of ham steak or ham shredded from the simmered bone works well. Watch the carbs in your ham! It should be close to 0; do not use honey ham or brown sugar ham. You can also use a smoked turkey leg as the original recipe calls for. Ham is "generally not recommended" on Medifast because of the sodium content, but Nutrition Support has stated that 5 ounces of lean ham can be used as a Lean on occasion. Also, add 1/2 cup of diced celery. Return to a simmer, partially cover and let cook another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add black pepper to taste.

Let this cool for ten minutes, uncovered. It will thicken slightly. Divide into two equal portions and enjoy!
Each portion is one complete Medifast Lean & Green plus whatever condiments you used.
For calorie counters, here are the stats for one serving (half the recipe):
250 calories
6 g fat
13 g carbs
5 g fiber
32 g protein
Each serving is actually close to two cups of soup! This is a very filling and yummy meal and tastes a heck of a lot like split pea soup. Remember, this is a very simple recipe so use good stock and a good ham for best results. Enjoy!