A good way to welcome spring peas in all their glory!

Spring is in the air! You can really feel it with the warm and stormy weather. Everyone is planting their gardens and working in their yards. In Ohio, it is the start of many farmers markets and local food clubs. The grocery stores are filling with more and more locally raised fruit and vegetables. It is only the start of what is soon to come!

One of the first things I think of when its spring time is peas. I know they are a love or hate kind of food, but I am the former. I love peas! I love them in soups, curries, eggs, salads and sauces! They cook quickly, easily and add a great color to almost any dish. They are very versatile and fit a variety of cuisines. I unfortunately didn't have sweet peas on hand for this salad, but next time they would definitely be added.  I did have pea shoots, which I was glad to find and would definitely enjoy again!

Spring Three Pea Salad

Serves: 6-8            Cook Time: 5 min              Prep Time: 15 min

• 12 ounces sugar snap peas,blanched and shocked
• 9 ounces snow peas, blanched and shocked
• 4 ounces pea shoots (if available,if not use peas)
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 lemon zested
• 1 package mint, chopped
• 3 tablespoons, white wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In order to blanch and shock both peas, set up steamer basket in sauce pot with water.  Once water is heated add sugar snap peas and cook covered for about 2 minutes, then add snow peas and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Once finished, immediately place in ice bath or run under very cold water until cold. This will keep your peas bright green and looking beautiful in your salad.  Once cool, cut the peas in about 3 or 4 pieces.  Combine the vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Combine all remaining  ingredients and enjoy!

TIP- Blanch and shocking vegetables such as carrots, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower is a great way to extend shelf life of your veggies and keep their color looking bright and beautiful!  It also allows to you apply another cooking method (grill,saute) to them. It makes it a snap to put together veggies for dinner or add to your favorite dishes such as quiche or salads.   This can also be done by boiling veggies until al dente(still has a slight snap) and then placing in an ice bath.

A refreshing spring pea salad