GF Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

I turned my nose up at this when I was a kid, based solely on it's name. Now I make it almost every week. In your face Kid-Version-Me!!!

The Fixin's:
1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed
2-6 medium carrots, chopped
2-6 medium celery stalks, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 T parsley
1 bay leaf
1 meaty smoked ham bone or thick sliced of deli ham, cubed (about 1 pound)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

What To Do:
Step 1: Start by layering the peas in the slow cooker. Add the carrots and celery (this is an effective way to stuff your family full of veggies, so I make a game out of cramming as many in there as possible!), onion, garlic, parsley, and bay leaf over the peas.


Step 2: Place the ham (or don't, if you don't eat pork, this soup is still delicious without it, promise) over the veggies and pour the chicken broth and water into the slow cooker. Then season with salt and pepper.


Step 3: Cover and cook for 8-9 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high. The end result should be, soft peas (that sounds weird) and meat falling off the bone.


Step 4: When it's finished cooking, remove any bones from the soup and stir with a hand mixer until you find a consistency you like. Eat.