Minding My Pea's and Q's

In my household, err...dorm room, no meal is complete without a veggie side dish. Although I didn't like peas as a kid (I am very weird about certain textures and am only now as an adult beginning to grow out of some of my phobias), I tried them again when I was home over break as they are one of the few vegetables my father will willingly eat and discovered that I really like them. I decided that my previous aversion probably stemmed from the fact that I had canned peas when I was little, which are really mushy and have a very different texture from frozen or fresh peas, which are firm and almost crisp to the taste. Therefore, to go with my lasagna that I posted earlier in the week, I decided to make a simple pea side dish.


Peas are incredibly high in a whole bunch of nutrients, including vitamin K, manganese, and vitamin C. They are really important to maintaining bone health, and can also help protect against cardiovascular disease. Peas have been eaten by humans for many, many years and were even mentioned in the Bible! They were popularized by King Louis XIV in the seventeenth century when he served them at parties in his palace. The most common form of pea is the garden pea, which we generally refer to as the sweet pea. An alternate variation is the snow pea, which is native to Asia. The sugar snap pea is what results when you cross these two species of pea. Now that you have been properly introduced into the world of one of the world's greenest legumes, I will commence with the recipe.



Peas with Honey and Lemon-Pepper
Serves 4, adapted from Best Life Diet

1 lb frozen sweet peas
2 tsp honey or agave nectar
lemon-pepper to taste

1. Heat the peas according to the directions on the bag. I microwaved mine.

2. Sprinkle with honey and lemon-pepper.

Honey Hint: A good trick when measuring honey is to coat whatever you are measuring with, with some kind of non-stick device (cooking spray, olive oil, etc.). This way, the honey will actually come off of whatever you are measuring with and will slide easily onto your food.

I am submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted this week by Dee of The Daily Tiffin.