Day 314 - English Peas

The package for these English Peas said to boil water and put peas in for no longer than 90 seconds.  I confess, I left them in a bit longer, because once I put them in the water stopped boiling and didn’t resume boiling until after the 90 seconds was up…  I gave them an extra 25 seconds.  I followed the package instructions for “English Peas” – mince an onion, cook it in olive oil, boil peas, then mix together.

Find them in the fresh veggie department in a little bag

But before cooking them I ate a few peas raw and they were DELICIOUS.  They were super tasty and just screamed “PEA!!!!!”.  They tasted so fresh!  After this first meal that included English Peas I bought them again and ate many of them raw – I put them in salads, plus just ate them out of a little bowl as if I were snacking on nuts.  They are really yummy that way.

Raw, in a salad.  Very tasty.

As for the cooked version – these are much bigger than the peas I am used to, and that is cool.  Even after cooking they are still a bit hard.  I liked that – they are not mushy at all.  (My experience with peas in England was that they were mushy which was a strange pea texture.)  I like these!  They are something different.  It is not often that you happen across a new vegetable (though we have found two other excellent ones (both got 5 star reviews!) this year at Trader Joe’s – kale sprouts and baby honeynut squash, but neither are available right now L.  Still, you can see the reviews of them here: Kale Sprouts and Honeynut Squash (miniature) ).  I like these English Peas and will be serving them as our green veggie with dinner now that we have discovered them at TJ’s.

Here they are cooked, also really good.  Served with an omelet (dijon and fresh pesto for dipping!) and rice.

David agrees – he also liked them.  He thought they had more “snap” when eaten fresh (agreed!) and that the raw version was a bit more fun to eat.  He says he prefers a little French Petite Pois (damn doesn’t that comment sound uppity???).  But he likes these English Peas and says, “They are nice”.

Here David makes an honest mistake in Trader Joe's, confusing PEA for PEE...  I mean, who hasn't done that?

David in London - NOT a mushy pea fan...

Fish, chips, and MUSHY PEAS in London

We do not often have a side dish of just peas (snow peas are the exception).  When I was a student at good old Pawnee Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska I had a “pea incident”.   A mean lunch lady forced me to eat some of the disgusting, mushy, wrong-shade-of-green peas on my plate.  Being a rule following little girl, I did as I was told.  Then I promptly JUMPED UP and rushed out of the cafeteria (which was also the gym…) to head for the toilets to throw up.  I didn’t make it.  Sorry Mr. Janitor, he had to haul out the infamous bucket of saw dust to cover my green pile of vomit.

Anyway, after that “incident”, peas were never high up on my list of vegetables.  But I can say that I have grown up and they do not make me gag anymore.  We eat TJ’s bagged frozen peas and will now add these delightful English Peas to our menus, too.  You can find them in the fresh veggie department (not frozen).  We like that these are a bit different than your normal run of the mill pea.

Price – $3.49

Rating – 4.25

Day 36 - Kale Sprouts

I think internet acronyms are stupid, but OMG…  I mean SERIOUSLY, a new veggie is in town, and it frickin’ ROCKS!!!  Kale Sprouts, man!!!! 

I had never heard of them.  I stood and stared at them in the produce section, trying to figure out exactly WHAT they WERE…  A lady came up and assumed the same stance next to me, and I asked if she had tried them.  “Nope, but did you read the article in the Post about them???” she countered.  HUH??  The Washington Post did an article on a VEGETABLE??  Now that tipped the scale, not only did I need to find the article, I needed to taste the vegetable!!!

We invested in a bag (at $3.49 for a smallish 8 oz. bag it felt pricey), and went home for what I was sure was some over-hyped yuppy trend.

Oh no, no, no.  Kale sprouts are REAL, baby.  Real as in REAL GOOD J !!!  I cooked them following one recipe on the package – a couple tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet, sauté until “golden” (though that term seemed dumb for a dark green/purple veggie, how does it get “golden” exactly??) around 3 minutes.  Add half cup of water, salt, and cover until however tender you want them (a few minutes for us). 

Run, don't walk, to Trader Joe's now and get some Kale Sprouts

They are heavenly!!!!  They will most certainly find their way to our house again (and again…).  The bag says 3 servings, which sounds exactly right.  We had them alongside a veggie/tofu stir fry, and just had the leftovers with lunch (just as good reheated the next day, folks).  They are not bitter, in fact there is a bit of sweet. 

You need these veggies.  It is not very often that a brand spankin’ new vegetable comes to town, and when it does, you have to invite it over for dinner.  By the way, here is the mention from the Washington Post (January 13, 2015), “Speaking of kale…kale sprouts, lollipop kale and the newly marketed Kalettes are basically identical…”.

Price - $3.49

Rating - 5