This Curried Cauliflower & Split-Pea Soup is a cozy, flavorful bowl of plant-powered goodness—with a seriously impressive sustainability score to match! Packed with protein-rich split peas and colorful veggies, it’s super budget-friendly, low-waste, and cooks up in a flash thanks to the magic of a pressure cooker. No soaking, no fuss—just a creamy, comforting soup that’s kind to your body, your wallet, and the planet. Whip up a big batch and feel like a kitchen wizard making the world better one spoonful at a time!
This soup is the ultimate comfort food that’s so quick to prepare it’s shocking! It literally takes me about 20 minutes from decision to the steaming bowl.
Don’t believe me? Suspect me of cheating or exaggerating? Having some dark superpowers? No, I just use the right equipment.
Namely, a pressure cooker. An essential kitchen tool for anyone who eats a plant-powered diet.
A pressure cooker is an incredibly useful kitchen appliance, especially when it comes to easily and quickly preparing all sorts of legumes, from lentils to beans. It dramatically cuts down on cooking time, producing tender beans and chickpeas that are otherwise difficult to achieve, even after hours of cooking, thus saving time and energy.
This soup is very filling, rich in plant protein, and cheap to make.
It’s also incredibly smooth and creamy, even without a blender! The problem with cooking veggies in a pressure cooker is that they easily get too soft and turn mushy, but this soup actually benefits from that effect. This And I don’t even bother chopping the veggies finely—they get soft enough on their own. to smooth consistency or served as is.
Split peas don’t require soaking, so that speeds up the process even more.
Creamy Split Pea Soup with Veggies—Ready in Just 5 Minutes (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups yellow split peas, rinsed
4 cups water
Vegetables: add what you like or have, for example:
½ head of cauliflower, and/or broccoli, 2 leaves of kale, ½ bunch spinach
1 large carrot, 1 sweet potato, 1 potato
2 celery stalks, 1 parsley root, 1 small piece of celery root
Spices: 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon marjoram (optional)
A pinch of dry ginger (optional)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
Add everything to the pressure cooker and start cooking on high until it seals. Continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes. Let it simmer for a few more minutes, allowing the pressure to be released naturally. Open the lid, adjust the seasoning, and enjoy the thick, creamy texture.
Storage:
The soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in smaller portions for future meals. Add a bit of water or vegetable broth when reheating if it’s too thick.
Nutritional Breakdown: Servings: 6-8, Calories per Serving: 250-300 calories, Carbohydrates: 45-55 grams, Proteins: 15-20 grams, Fats: 1-2 grams, Fiber: 15-20 grams. These values are approximations, and actual nutritional content can vary based on specific ingredient types and amounts.
Cooking Beans: Pressure Cooker vs. Thermomix vs. Slow Cooker
I’m kicking myself for not using a pressure cooker sooner, or an electric cooker, like Instant Pot. Beans were such a struggle before! Don’t make the same mistake. Seriously, unless you only use canned beans, or maybe have some other fancy equipment that cooks the food for you – like a Thermomix or some slow cooker — you should seriously consider investing in a pressure cooker. And even if you have those, from what I know, pressure cookers are still superior. Here’s why:
Cooking Beans: Pressure Cooker vs. Instant Pot vs. Thermomix vs. Slow Cooker
Pressure Cooker: Fast and energy-efficient, perfect for cooking beans and legumes quickly without pre-soaking. Ideal for preparing meals in a fraction of the usual time while maintaining most nutrients due to reduced cooking duration. Especially great for split peas, which cook in just 5–10 minutes.
Instant Pot: A modern, electric version of the pressure cooker with added convenience. It features programmable settings, a delay timer, and keep-warm functions. It’s excellent for hands-off cooking of legumes like split peas (5–7 minutes on high pressure), lentils, or even soaked beans. Super beginner-friendly and widely used in plant-based kitchens.
Thermomix: A multifunctional appliance, capable of cooking beans with precise temperature control and built-in stirring. No high-pressure function needed for faster legume cooking, so it’s slower than a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Best used when your recipe involves blending or multi-stage cooking (e.g., soups or sauces).
Slow Cooker: Ideal for a “set it and forget it” approach. Cooking beans takes longer (6–8 hours), but the result is tender, deeply flavorful legumes. It’s less energy-efficient and not ideal if you need your food fast, but perfect for prepping overnight or during the workday.
Using a pressure cooker for this recipe not only speeds up the process but also helps retain the nutritional value of the ingredients, making it a superb choice for healthy, quick meals.
🌱 My Overall Sustainability Rating of this Recipe: 9.5/10!
✅ 1. Ingredient Footprint – Very Low
Split peas are one of the most sustainable protein sources available. They require little water to grow, enrich the soil with nitrogen (which reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers), and have a low carbon footprint.
The other vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, celery, etc.) are seasonal, local-friendly, and low-impact compared to animal products or exotic produce.
✅ 2. Protein Content – Excellent
Split peas are high in plant protein (~16g per cooked cup) and rich in fiber, making this soup a nutrient-dense alternative to meat-based soups without the environmental burden of animal agriculture.
✅ 3. Cooking Method – Efficient
Using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot dramatically reduces cooking time and energy use compared to stove-top simmering for hours or baking.
Compared to slow cookers or ovens, a pressure cooker uses up to 70% less energy and helps retain more nutrients.
✅ 4. Cost – Very Low
Split peas and root vegetables are some of the most affordable whole-food ingredients.
A big batch of soup can feed 6–8 people for the cost of a couple of store-bought meals or even less, especially if bought in bulk.
✅ 5. Waste & Packaging – Minimal
You can buy most ingredients (split peas, spices, veggies) loose or in bulk, which minimizes packaging waste.
Leftovers store and freeze well, reducing food waste.
🔄 Suggested Improvements for a Perfect 10:
Use home-composted veggie scraps if possible, or make broth from peelings before adding them to compost.
If using store-bought spices, choose recyclable glass jars or refill from bulk bins.
Cook with renewable energy (e.g., induction stove, solar panels) if available.
🌟 Overall Verdict: This soup is a model plant-based, low-waste, low-cost, high-protein, eco-friendly comfort meal. A regular in any sustainable kitchen!
There is this hidden danger that will make you trip and crumble down a slippery slope before you even know it.
Let me explain.
When it comes to our health, there are two extremes—one is chasing every new thing (diet, supplement, pill), which is exhausting, second—not doing anything, because, well, doing requires effort, and it’s exhausting.
The third approach—which most of us follow—is somewhere in between.
We are trying to keep everything ‘balanced’ and do things ‘in moderation.”
This, BTW, can still be exhausting—but also dangerous and because most people’s idea of what moderation or balance even are is skewed in modern society.
Because here is the thing…
Moderation in the wrong thing is still wrong.
Moderation in doing the right thing may not be enough to balance out the wrongs.
(Most people get this all wrong.)
So, trying to ‘balance’ the bad with good may not work.
And this applies not just to health.
How about damaging the natural world, depleting natural resources, cutting down the Amazon, waging wars, and other shenanigans we humans do far beyond moderation.How about moderation in beating children or endangering their future, or hurting animals?
In all of these cases, what would MODERATION even mean?
If you agree that hurting our planet and animals is wrong, and you want to ensure the best possible future for your kids (or even just yourself), then the idea of eating meat and dairy in any quantity is appalling.
In all of these cases the concept of moderation just doesn’t make sense.
Whenever possible and as much as possible, we should stop doing the ‘wrongs’ and focus on the ‘rights’, especially when they are easy, such as switching to a plant-exclusive diet.
But let’s pick something less dramatic, like soft drinks.
Just looking at portion sizes of various processed juices and beverages, trying to have them in moderation is still bad and should avoided as much as possible.
Even skipping the XXL size and going for a medium or small size is not ideal, as they both are loaded with processed sugar and other undesirable ingredients.
Of course, having a cola once or twice in a blue moon won’t kill you.
But when we have sugary food and drinks, the reward center in the brain lights up making it incredibly hard to stop eating. It’s not your lack of willpower, it’s science working against you.
So, it’s best to make it a habit to skip these thinks altogether, and just opt for water.
But what about smoothies?
Well, there are smoothies and there are smoothies, LOL.
Many smoothies sold in the stores are highly processed and loaded with sugar. If you’re trying to stay away from sugar and reduce calories, then it’s best to skip them altogether, or only have them occasionally.
And how are green smoothies different?
For starters, YOU make them, so YOU control their content.
When I started out, I put lots of sweet fruits into the mix, like bananas, peaches, and pineapple, while today I’m often opting for more savory tasting combinations, even adding ingredients like frozen cauliflower, zucchini, or beans—may sound like a CRAZY idea for smoothies.
So, if you insist on the concept of moderation—you may choose to add sweet ingredients to your green smoothies in moderation. And you may add nuts in moderation, as well, as they are quite high in calories.
But even if you make a smoothie that tastes sweet, the greens and other veggies, plus nuts, seeds (if you add them)—will provide your body with loads of healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, which slows down the absorption of sugar, plus they’ll satisfy your hunger AND your sweet tooth without being high in calories.
How is that for a winning combination? 🙂
And if you’re making savory smoothies, blended salads, or soups, the moderation principle takes care of itself — because you can’t overeat on those things.
Here is me throwing all moderation in the wind and over-eating on HUGE salad with broccoli and spinach.
Don’t try this at home with pizza or fries. LOL.
And be weary of everything that comes with a long list of ingredients that you won’t find in a farmer’s market and can’t even pronounce.
Most of the processed foods are literary engineered to taste good. I saw a documentary on how they do it — it was scary because those foods force you to overeat, and make you addicted — and it’s done with full knowledge, using science, ON PURPOSE, so no matter how much you’ve had, you can’t resist; you always want more.
This makes applying moderation to modern processed foods is virtually impossible and almost impossible to do a mere mortar without secret superpowers of self-control, restraint, and wisdom, LOL.
And applying moderation to animal foods is still hurting animals and the planet.
Your safest bet is sticking to whole, unprocessed plant foods as much as possible.
And green smoothies made from whole plant foods are just that.
Even if they are blended, they are still amazing for you.
So, just have them. As well as other whole plant foods.
Throwing the moderation out to wind 😉
Drink to your health,
Joanna@GreenReset.com
P.S. You can find my Green Reset and other books on Amazon.com, or they’ll be soon available direct from my own Joanna’s shop that I’m building.
The biosphere is as important as life itself because it is all of life. Without the biosphere, Earth would be a lifeless planet, such as Mars or Venus.
It seems obvious that without healthy biosphere, we not only won’t be able to produce healthy food but also maintain good health as a species.
And yet what our current actions we are putting our biosphere in danger, which basically means we’re cutting the branch we are sitting on—and that is not a smart thing to do.
Question: What is the number one activity that damages our planet’s biosphere that can also be fixed relatively easily and quickly?
Before we address this question, let’s talk a little more about what biosphere is.
What exactly is the biosphere?
Biosphere is a part of the Earth where all organisms (plants and animals) live. They live in thin upper part of oceans and everywhere on/within the land mass. At higher altitude, UV radiation and low temperatures disable life to spread. In the deep ocean, life is present in the depth of up to 500 m below oceanic floor.
The biosphere is a self-supporting and self-regulating system. Some scientists even think of the biosphere itself as a living organism. It’s been maintaining its delicate balance for billions of years.
But then we humans came around, and we’re putting so much stress on it we’re disrupting that balance.
We’re taking our planet and our precious biosphere for granted.
It’s always been here.
We can’t imagine it not being here.
But—what if we damage it beyond repair?
Is it even possible?
Why do we need to take better care of biosphere?
Here are some facts about our biosphere that you need to know:
Compared to the other spheres (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere), the biosphere is fragile.
Most organisms require particular levels of pH, water, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen among other things in order to survive. All conditions required for life must be met and maintained within this thin layer of groundwater and lower atmosphere.
Even though our planet Earth may seem very large to us, but the biosphere is very thin by comparison.
How can we protect and preserve the biosphere?
Some things may come to your mind, like reducing the use of fossil fuels, restoring damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down, in short—learning to live in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment, plus supporting activities that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment.
All of these are valid.
And you probably already know that.
But none of them are quick and easy fixes.
There doesn’t seem ONE SIMPLE way to FIX MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS QUICKLY and efficiently… or is it?
So, what is the number one activity that damages our planet’s biosphere that can also be fixed relatively easily and quickly?
It’s our food system.
The way we produce food—and the animal food in particular—is the driving force behind a number of crises, including the climate change, biodiversity crisis, health crisis (including antibiotic resistance), ocean depletion, water pollution, deforestation, and the crisis of ethics (whereby we raise billions of animals in squalid conditions and kill them at very young age to eat them, even though more humane, healthful, and sustainable plant alternatives exist).
And this is NOT animal factory farm crisis, because the pasture-bread, grass-fed, free-range meat and dairy products are even worse in terms of how unsustainable they are (we would essentially need several planets to feed the global population on these types of foods).
We’re essentially EATING OUR WAY TO EXTINCTION.
And not just our extinction—
Extinction of MOST OF THE SPECIES THAT INHABIT THIS PLANET TODAY.
If you think this is an exaggeration—then you should know that the largest extinction since the times when dinosaurs were alive is going on RIGHT NOW. It’s called the Sixth Extinction.
Is there hope?
YES, ABSOLUTELY!
We must cultivate hope. But we also must take well informed action.
We’re in a unique situation to save earth as we know it, and save the life on it now and allow a livable future for those coming after us or we could ignore things, act like nothing’s happening or when we get around to it and allow it to continue on its current path to possibly be destroyed.
And all of us can help—which means all of us can become heroes, fighting for the greater good.
So, what’s at stake?
The extinguishing of our own species and thousands of other species—that’s what’s at stake.
We can essentially make or break humanity and our entire biosphere—that could be at stake.
So, what needs to change?
We need to stop those practices and habits that we administer every single day on a collective basis globally, that create an unnecessary and proportionately large resource footprint, beginning with—
THE FOOD WHAT WE EAT AND OUR AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, which have the largest environmental footprint of all.
THE ANIMAL FOODS WE CONSUME IS A LARGER RESOURCE GUZZLER THAN ANYTHING ELSE WE DO; IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE VERY EASIEST TO CHANGE.
So, whether you’re ready to go completely plant-based or not, cutting down beef and other animal products, reducing the consumption by third, or half would be a step in the right direction.
Even though it’s not a time for baby steps, it’s better than nothing.
Don’t do nothing because you want to do everything.
We’re on very real timelines and it’s much worse now than it was ten or even five years ago. And any action you can take today toward a more plant-based diet is the right thing to do.
