Feel free to use 1 cup split green peas to be more traditional; what makes my soup special is the mix of the two peas. This soup is dense and hearty (but also vegan and healthy!) and I made it up using some ideas from other vegan soups I like and because most split pea soups I tried had a nice starter but bad aftertaste to me (I think namely from the use of cream or a slimier broth; this one's totally vegan.) So you don't have to feel guilty if you wanna make a meal out of this soup! :) This is year-round vegan comfort food at its best. And it's so easy to make but tastes complex!! (Especially if it's a 32-oz jug of veggie stock- you can just dump the whole thing in, you don't even have to measure it.)