Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Fun with Peas

So here I am at 11 at night, jet-lagged after nearly a month in Asia, and sleepless because my sis is going into the hospital at 5 am tomorrow so her doctor can induce labor. By this time tomorrow night, I will be an aunt!! As for now, I'm wide awake, and don't have the concentration to work or even watch the second half of Mildred Pearce. So I'll post a recipe that has been my staple ever since I discovered it a few months ago. Officially, it's a pea dip, but the name just doesn't quite sound right, so I'm calling it Fun with Peas ... as opposed to Peacamole, the name given to it by its creator on her blog, "Chocolate & Zucchini."

"Chocolate & Zucchini" is one of my favorite blogs, and I hadn't visited it for awhile. Then one day while doing a cleanse, when all I could think about was food, I decided to take a peek and see what I was missing. But the first recipe I encountered turned out to be ideal for my two weeks of no wheat, no dairy, no sugar. It was also the tastiest dip I'd had in ages. With brown rice crackers, it has become my daily go-to snack, along with carrots and hummus. It has also attended two parties with me, with great social success.

The following recipe is modified from the original on "Chocolate & Zucchini."

Fun with Peas

Ingredients:

- 1 bag frozen peas (1 lb.)
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. whole almond butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce or pinch of cayenne pepper (I use a lot more to give it a kick)
- Salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Steam the peas until tender. Let them cool.

2) In a food processor, combine peas, almond butter, cilantro, garlic, Tobasco or cayenne, and salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

3) Spread on brown rice crackers.