Recipe Box: Hap-pea-ness in the pod

Green peas are a popular vegetable. They are also quite nutritious and contain a fair amount of fiber and antioxidants. Peas are a wonderful source of vitamins C and E and are known to strengthen your immune system. They have been part of the human diet for hundreds of years and are consumed all over the world. Since green peas are high in complex carbs called starches, they are considered a starchy vegetable along with potatoes, corn, and squash.

A good friend of mine was on a journey to eat healthier. Knowing I often picked on her for not loving green vegetables, she sent me a text to inform me that she choked down peas to consume her greens. I praised her effort, but sadly let her know that peas are indeed a carbohydrate. We laughed and she mumbled some words under her breath to express her frustration.

Snap peas and snow peas are other popular varieties that are often confused with green peas due to their similar appearance. However, their flavor and nutrient content differ slightly. Peas are used as a tool in sustainable agriculture because they can add nitrogen back into the soil. One of the reasons peas have become so popular in pet food is due to the increase in grain-free diets.

My grandpa doesn’t love to eat peas, but he always has peas in his freezer. He says that frozen bags of peas make the best ice packs for his tired knees at the end of the day. Many of my family members have used frozen bags of peas when recovering from other surgeries as well. So, when I made a new pea salad recipe, they all questioned where the peas had been.

Picking up a can of peas or a frozen bag at the grocery store is convenient, but it doesn’t come with the memoires of sitting on the metal glider on my grandma’s porch shelling peas with her. She taught me to run my thumb nail down the seam of the pod and then fold the pod back to pop the peas out. All the work to open one shell, for only four to eight peas to be inside. As a kid, I would look in the bowl with disappointment at the small amount harvested. As an adult, I understand the hard work that went into planting, tending, picking, and shelling the peas to consume for a meal. I still recall how sore my thumb nail bed would be at the end of the day from shelling peas, but it is a special memory that still brings me hap-pea-ness.

We enjoy peas in chicken pot pie, pea salad, and vegetable soup. All these dishes are sweetened when you bite into a green pea, and it bursts open in your mouth. The best bacon pea salad is a simple side that everyone loves. Tender sweet peas are mixed with bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and a bit of red onion for some zest. A simple mayonnaise-based dressing is seasoned with a little vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. It is simple and perfect. Pea soup with frozen peas and potatoes is thick, comforting and will be on the table in less than 20 minutes. All you have to do is sauté the onion, then add potatoes, broth and cook. Then add peas, mint leaves, and seasoning. Cook and blend. Peas are delicious fresh, dried, frozen, warm, or cold.

If you are willing to try new things and have an open mind, peas are sure to fill each meal with hap-pea-ness!

Contact Ashley at ashley@tippgazette.com

Bacon Pea Salad

Ingredients

8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

4 cups frozen peas defrosted

1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded

1/3 cup diced red onion

Dressing

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons vinegar

Salt and pepper

Directions

1.     Defrost the peas under cold water and cook the bacon until crispy and then crumble.

2.     Whisk the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3.     Add the peas, bacon, and onion, and stir to coat with the dressing. 

To make creamy pea salad with fresh peas from the garden, shell the peas and place them in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain well and cool completely. If you’d prefer, bacon bits can be substituted for bacon. 

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Creamy Pea Soup

Ingredients

Frozen peas

Potato

Onion

Mint leaves (optional)

Vegetable broth

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1.     Sauté onions in olive oil.

2.     Add potatoes, vegetable broth, and cook for 10 minutes.

3.     Add peas and cook for a further 5 minutes.

4.     Turn off the heat, add fresh mint, and blend. 

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Pea and Lemon Pasta Salad

Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked small shell pasta

1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 1 ½ cups)

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

1.     Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2.     Add peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

3.     Combine parsley and next 7 ingredients (through pepper) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

4.     Add chicken; toss to coat.

5.     Add pasta mixture; toss.

6.     Sprinkle evenly with almonds.