Garden Peas, Snow Peas and Sugar Snap Peas! So Healthy!
All of these are peas – it’s in the name, right. Protein, high Vitamin C and a fast snack.
Protein
One thing you may not know about these precious peas are they are full of protein, with more protein than other vegetables and are part of the legume plant family. They often get missed in food pyramids as a great source of protein. These amazing gems are a great combination of protein being part of the legume’s family and green nutrients, so full of fiber, micro-nutrients (minerals, vitamins) and phytonutrients. These include fat-soluble vitamin K & A, vitamin B’s (high folate) except B12, iron, calcium and phytonutrients including beta-carotene, and chlorophyll. Pea protein powder has become a popular smoothie powder or meal replacement since it has the mentioned micronutrients along with high manganese, phosphorus, and more. Try the fermented pea powder, to add a healthy source of beneficial bacteria to help gut health.
Peas have many of the essential amino acids. It is not necessary to have all essential amino acids in each meal, but if you want to; please pair peas with rice, corn, or buckwheat groats and quinoa. Quinoa actually is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that our body’s need to function and cannot make. This is what we do when we pair beans or peas with rice or corn or other grains, we are trying to get to all nine essential amino acids, a complete protein.
Vitamin C
All peas hold a lot of vitamin C with a cup of peas (145g), and a cup (98g) of chopped pods of snow or snap peas giving 98% DC (daily value recommended). Impressive! Vitamin C improves our immune system and acts as an anti-oxidant.
Snack
I used to have a bag of frozen peas at work to eat as a quick snack, adding a little oil or butter to help me absorb the fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin D and vitamin K (present in peas and butter). I love snap peas! They are crunchy and sweet, great to have as a snack, with or without dip. Also delicious in salads and stir-fry’s as we shared in our June 10th, 2020 Cook it, Lively! Zoom class. If that sounds like your type of cooking, we are happy to do this Cook it, Lively! Snap Peas zoom cooking class for you and your friends and family. Please contact us to discuss.
Snap peas have bigger peas than snow peas, but both have simpler nutrition value and can be used in Asian dishes like stir-fry’s, steamed, raw or blanched. Both snow peas and snap peas have edible pods that provide insoluble fibre that helps digestion (as in excretion part! Yes creating a great poo!) and give a higher source of iron. Snow peas and snap peas are harvested immaturely than green garden peas so have less protein. Green peas have 7.9 g, and snow peas or snap peas have 2.7 g per cup (chopped pods).
Snow peas and Snap Peas – Destring
The pods may have strings that need to be taken off. Look at your pod, there is a vein tip that was hooked to the plant and a blossom side that had a small flower. To destring start at the vein tip and snap a small piece off and pull down on the straight side. I typically only do that side, you can destring the round side by starting on the vein tip and pulling the string down. If the pods are young or stringless varieties, you will not have to destring.
Blanch and freeze! Peas, Snow Peas and Snap Peas
All peas need to be kept in the fridge to stop the sugars changing to starches and affecting their taste. I buy my garden peas frozen, so I don’t have to take them out of the pod, they are frozen quickly after they are picked on the farm; also, they have more nutrients and better taste to me than canned peas. Snow peas and snap peas can be blanched after de-stringing in boiling water for 1.5 min then plunged into cold ice water for 2 min. Pad dry then place on a cookie sheet to freeze individual for an hour or two, then sealed in a freezer Ziploc bag or reusable container.
The only thing peas are missing is fat, so add nuts or a yogurt-herb dip to make you feel satiety. Satiety is the state of having more than enough.
For nutrition details for snap peas & snow peas – https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2516/2
For nutrition details for garden peas –
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2520/2
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