Katherine (my friend’s daughter) has the right idea. Eat peas while they’re farm-fresh as the sugar quickly converts to starch, compromising the sweet, delicate flavor. Peas are the all-purpose, wonder food. Kids love shelling them and popping them directly into their mouths. Grandmas serve them for every holiday. They’re good in soups, stews, smoothies, stir fries, wraps, spring rolls, salads and rice. Peas are perfect lightly boiled, steamed or sautéed and topped with a touch of butter and sea salt. Use your imagination, you can’t go wrong with farm-fresh peas.
simple cheesy peas
what you need
2 cups peas (or adjust according to how many you have)
butter
grated parmesan cheese
salt
what you do
Bring a saucepan of water to a soft boil (not raging). Add a dash of salt and the shelled peas. Watch it carefully. You only want to cook the peas for a short time (no longer than 45 to 60 seconds). Cooked, fresh peas are best when they’re tender, but still firm. And definitely not mushy. Drain in a colander, place in a bowl, top with dollop of butter and gently toss. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. These are wonderful paired with rice or mixed into risotto.
mostly raw veggie burritos (inspired by Tara, cute & quirky Denver hair artist at Salon No Dice)
what you need
roasted, chilled and sliced beets *
peeled and thinly sliced kohlrabi
freshly shelled peas
washed and dried spinach, cabbage or lettuce leaves
roasted sunflower seeds
crumbled goat cheese
dressing of your choice
tortilla (teff or brown rice for the gluten-free version)
what you do
Stack your ingredients in a row on your tortilla. Drizzle with dressing of choice and fold. Check here for various folding methods. My favorite for this wrap is the “open ended” method (#3).
* This is a perfect way to make a quick, tasty meal and use up various veggies. I like the texture of roasted, chilled beets in a recipe like this, but shredded or thinly sliced raw beets work fine. When I’m in the midst of beet harvest time, I roast several and store them in the refrigerator for salads, wraps and sandwiches. Yes, they’re great on sandwiches, they replace the tomatoes.
I’m off for a few days of camping, hiking and mountain biking in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, so I won’t be posting recipes or responding to comments on my blog until the end of the week. I’m not ignoring you — I’m just enjoying the wild blue yonder, complete with homemade dehydrated kale backpacking soup (more about that on Shirley’s GFE “happy camper” carnival at the end of the month).
Enjoy!
Melissa
P.S. Photo credits and cuteness courtesy of my friend, Megan. Thank you!
Tags: farm fresh, kohlrabi, peas, seasonal produce, spinach
Melissa,
Enjoy the wild blue yonder and return refreshed and brimming with inspiration. May your dehydrated kale soup sustain you and may your arnica bath soak be ready and waiting at the end 🙂
I’m off to research the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho so I can be with you in spirit!
Cid
Yum, all the good things of summer wrapped up in a tortilla – what a perfect way to spend an evening!
-Ali 🙂
You can pack so much into a brief post, it just amazes and delights me. I am crazy about peas and eating them right out of the garden is a special treat. Those burritos sound good. Your cute and quirky hair dresser friend sounds like a winner. I bet I’d even like her haircuts. I am suffering from a bad one right now. I keep getting the hairdressers who do what they want and ignore my directions. Ugh. Well, this is one time I won’t feel badly about wearing a motorcycle helmet for days on end. LOL
Hope your outdoor time in Idaho is great. Thanks so much for mentioning the Go Ahead Honey “Happy Camper” blog carnival. That is so kind of you! And, I’m thrilled you’ve found another good use for your kale. 🙂
Thanks, Melissa!
Shirley
Thanks Melissa, (& Tara,)
You are so right, Eating garden peas straight from the pod makes me feel like a seven-year old again. 🙂 A very welcome feeling having turned 33 this week.
I’m definitely giving your burritos a try thanks to those fab folding instruction GIFs on the site you linked. I’ve always been an “envelope” guy but I think it’s time to branch out.
Wonderful post once again, Melissa.
GDave
PS. I’m feeling Shirley’s hairdresser woes. I’ve let my last bad cut grow out down to my shoulders but I’m dreading my next visit. 🙁
Things have been busy at our place — and that’s bad news for peas.
I keep eyeing up those peas at the market… knowing their stay will be short, but wondering if I’ll be able to use the peas up fast enough. I’m tempted to just buy a handful to eat RIGHT THEN and there so that I don’t miss the lovely “pea season”.
That raw burrito looks great.
Enjoy your escape! You’ll be missed… but we’ll be waiting for you. For sure!
Hey Melissa,
Have fun on your camping trip! You’ve earned it! You’ve been busy keeping us informed while I’ve been busy ignoring my computer and indoor tasks in general.
Saw a mention of goat yogurt in an earlier post. I’ll have to find some!
Thanx a million for the cheesy peas recipe. I’m always on the lookout for creative ways of dressing up veggies so that they’re pleasing to my kids’ palate. A fave website of mine for GF tips and delicious recipes: http://www.GlutenFreeHelp.info
Hi everyone — sorry for my sporadic responding lately. Lots going on during the last couple of weeks, but I’m back to blah-blah-blogging now. Thanks for all the great comments! You guys are the best.
Melissa
xo