Split Pea Soup with Polenta Crouton and Fresh Basil Pesto

I had dinner with my parents this weekend, which translates to an entire afternoon of eating course after course after course, with snacking in between.  Not that I'm complaining... it was all good, and my mom has become quite the vegan chef! 

The first course was split pea soup.  On its own it would've been a delicious way to begin the meal.  But we wanted to figure out a way to make it special.  Oh, and there was some leftover polenta in the fridge and a HUGE bunch of basil from my uncle's garden that she wanted to use, too.  So I said, "why don't we float a raft of polenta on the soup, then top it off with a hefty dollop of pesto?"  And that's what we did.  Perfect!