Green Pea and Mint Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese

There are only a few veggies that I really don't care to eat...peas and carrots!!! I won't eat peas or carrots head on.  I have to sneak them into my meals like a little kid.  Yes, I know they are healthful but peas and carrots will forever remain in the Icky! column.  There are a few others veggies in the Icky! column such as Okra

I have found that if I just warm frozen peas rather than cooking them aka "boiling the bejeezus" out of them, they remain tender and sweet, not mushy and metallic tasting. 

Well, anyway I came up with this salad that combine peas with mint and feta with tomatoes, combinations that are both refreshing and aromatic.

Here's what I used to make this salad

1lb Baby Spinach chiffonade

1 Pint package Sweet Grape Tomatoes halved lengthwise

1 small red onion chopped

4T Mint minced chiffonade

16oz. bag frozen Sweet Green Peas

1/2 C Feta Crumbles

14.5oz box Barilla Plus Rotini cooked as directed on box

Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/3 C Fresh Lime Juice

2/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Chiffonade is a style of cutting most often used to prepare Basil or any other leafy green.  It  is a pretty fancy name for a simple process.  

Stack your leaves on top one another all stems heading in the same direction.

Roll the leaves like a cigar

 

Slice the roll into ribbon strips according to what your recipe calls for.  For this salad we'll be using thick ribbons.

Once you've prepared and chopped all your veggies (spinach, tomatoes, mint, onion) toss them into a large bowl and set aside.

Boil pasta according to the box directions, 30 second prior to pasta being done pour the bag of frozen peas into the boiling water with the pasta. Drain pasta and peas then place in the bowl with your veggies.  Toss to wilt the spinach.  

Drizzle with the viniagerette and toss the salad to coat.  Gently mix the feta cheese.  Enjoy!!!

 Is there a veggie that turns you off?  What is it?

Greek Inspired Fiddlehead Fern Salad

I grew up in rural Connecticut where the floor of the lush woods is covered with healthful vegetation untouched by chemicals or pesticides.  My parents planted garden both floral and vegetable in the very fertile soil; if you plant it-it will grow.  My father would go hunting and fishing with the neighborhood fellow and would bring back interesting and new things for us to try.  One time he actually brought back a squirrel, for some reason that's not nearly as odd as, my mother actually cooked it up for dinner. 

No worries this post is not about wild woodland creatures big or small.  It's about Fiddlehead ferns my dad would bring home every now and again.  They must have been good if I'm making them all these decades later. 

A Fiddle-head is the little curlicue sprout before it blossoms into a fancy fern frond.  Fiddleheads taste like asparagus and have a crisp crunch to them and are a vibrant green.  They are full of antioxidants too. Check out Nutrition Facts for Fiddleheads.

Through the use of Twitter I contacted @wegmans the moderator for Wegman's Food Markets.  I requested that fiddleheads be delivered to the produce department of the store in my town.  Spring is the peak season for these so time was of the essence.  In a  matter of a couple of weeks they were able to get a good amount in stock for me. Thanks @wegmans and Mark, the Produce Manager!

First we have to clean and blanch these fiddleheads.  Cleaning and precooking fiddleheads is a crucial step because they could contain microbes.  Oh stop it! There's no need to feel squeamish! This is food the way it was meant to be fresh from mother earth.


With a paring knife remove the stem end of each fiddlehead then rinse them in a colander under cold water.

Okay let's get cookin'.  Here's what I used:

1 lb Fiddleheads
2-3T Salt
1C Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 small Red Onion, sliced
1/2 C Kalamata Olives, pitted and halved
1/4 C Feta Cheese

1/4 C Olive Oil
2 T Fresh Lemon Juice
1T Dijon Mustard
1 cloves garlic. minced
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t dried oregano
ground black pepper to taste

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil then add 2-3 T of salt.  Cook the fiddleheads in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, them remove with strainer and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. Drain once cooled. 

See don't they look better now?!? I told you not to worry.....


Meanwhile combine Olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, oregano and pepper in a large screw top container or shaker with tight lid.  Shake to mix.

In a mixing bowl place tomatoes, olives, onions, half of the feta cheese, Greek dressing and fiddleheads.  Mix to combine.  Place mixed salad into serving dish and top garnish with remaining feta cheese. Enjoy!
 

I hope you try this. Fiddleheads are very tasty and healthful!