Get into the Spring Spirit with Snap Peas!

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Springtime is here! For those of us who live in Ohio, produce can be a little hard to find, since certain fruits and vegetables are not in season year-round. Now that we are entering the warmer months of April, May, and June, that means we finally get an abundance of in-season produce options!

One of my favorite seasonal foods that I can find in the spring are snap peas! While snap peas are often used as a vegetable in a culinary setting, they are scientifically considered a fresh legume. Legumes are defined as the mature, immature, or germinated edible seeds of legume plants. Dried legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils, are the mature form of legumes; however, if the seeds have not dried out, they are considered a fresh legume. Think of the soybean: in its mature stage, it’s just a soybean, which can be fermented and eaten, or even used for oil extraction. But when the seed is still immature, it is juicy, green, and is used as a vegetable. Immature, fresh legumes often have a lower protein content than mature, dried legumes, but they are still packed with a wide variety of nutrients, such as various B vitamins, vitamins C, A, K, folate, and fiber. They can also be eaten with the pods, so not only are they healthy, but they're also hassle free!

One of my favorite ways to use snap peas is in a pasta salad. A recent favorite of mine is a simple Italian Orzo Pasta Salad. I use orzo in mine so everything can be super small; that way I can get a big spoonful with everything in it. Try it out!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. orzo, cooked
8 oz. crumbled feta
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1 lb. snap peas, diced
3 green onions, diced
1 package of mozzarella pearls
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Throw everything into a big container with a trustworthy, tight fitting lid and give it a good shake. It works beautifully as a meal prep!


- Perera, T., Russo, C., Takata, Y., & Bobe, G. (2020). Legume consumption patterns in us adults: National health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES) 2011–2014 and beans, lentils, peas (BLP) 2017 survey. Nutrients, 12(5), 1237.

- Didinger, C., & Thompson, H. J. (2021). Defining Nutritional and Functional Niches of Legumes: A Call for Clarity to Distinguish a Future Role for Pulses in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Nutrients, 13(4), 1100. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041100

https://www.stoneybrookfarms.com/sugarsnappeas#:~:text=Health%20Benefits,B%2Dvitamins%2C%20and%20folate.

- NB

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