“Lives are snowflakes–forming patterns we have seen before, as like one another as peas in a pod, and have you ever looked at peas in a pod?  I mean, really looked at them? There’s not a chance you’d mistake one for another, after a minute’s close in.”  Neil Gaiman

When was the last time you enjoyed having green peas?

They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils…  (2 Sam. 17:28b; NIV)

We had our month of vegetables and side dish recipes in February.  March brought main dishes.  For April, we’ll look at various salad recipes.  Some recipes may be rather common and others may be new to your family. 

Pea salad is one of those recipes that cause some folks to turn up their noses.  They either don’t like peas or the thought of making a salad with them doesn’t cause culinary salivation.  When most people think of peas, they remember them as the food that they loved to hate when growing up, yet one that was extremely fun to play with (mixing them in their mashed potatoes) on their plates! There are many varied pea salad recipes, and I make variations of my own recipe depending on what ingredients I have on-hand.

Green peas are a member of the legume or bean family.  According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, legumes are plants that bear fruit in the form of pods enclosing the fleshy seeds we know as beans.  There are generally three types of peas that are commonly eaten: garden or green peas, snow peas and snap peas.  Garden peas have rounded pods that are usually slightly curved in shape with a smooth texture.  Inside are green rounded pea seeds that are sweet and starchy in taste. Snow peas are flatter than garden peas. Snap peas, a cross between the garden and snow pea, have plump pods with a crisp, snappy texture. The pods of both snow peas and snap peas are edible.

Abundant with nutrients, green peas offer us good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Green peas are a good source of vitamin K1, important for maintaining bone health.  They also are a good source of the various B vitamins with a key one being folic acid, along with vitamin C.

I never recommend buying canned peas, as the majority of nutrients are destroyed from the canning process, and the sodium content is much higher.  Fresh garden peas in the summer are wonderful, however most of us don’t have access to fresh peas.  Frozen peas are readily available.  I buy organically grown frozen peas and notice a sweetness and flavor unmatched in commercially grown peas.  Peas can be added to various salads such as chicken salad or a green salad for a pretty accent.  For such uses, I place them in a bowl of very warm water for several minutes, and then drain them instead of actually cooking them. 

Enjoy the salad.

Prayer Power
Lord, thank You for Your goodness and love for us.  May we continue to seek ways to glorify You with every word we speak, every breath we take, and every meal we eat.

Link of the Day
Tasty Pea Salad

Blessings on you as you enjoy some peas this week!