I know it’s not spring here yet and freshly podded peas are so sweet and delicious, but sometimes you have to stick with what you’ve got and buy them frozen if not in season… This dip is a very simple, very fresh tasting appetizer you can serve for a dinner party or have it for a snack with some crackers. It’s a good alternative to the classic hummus. It is very good served with toasted rye bread, but any bread/cracker will suite just as fine.

Peas are one of the few members of the legume family that are commonly sold and cooked as fresh vegetables. Other members of the legume family, including lentils, chickpeas, and beans of all colors are most often sold in dried form. The pods of fresh peas are also edible, in fact I had once read a recipe that didn’t waste pea pods and dehydrated them and then turned them into a flour. The flour comes out such a deep green color and can be used to add to your bread/pasta doughs, crackers, soups…it would be great for Saint Patrick’s day.

Green peas are a very good source of vitamin K, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin C, phosphorus, and folate. They are also a good source of vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin B2, molybdenum, zinc, protein, magnesium, iron, potassium, and choline.
Health benefits include: antioxidant and anti inflammatory benefits, support for blood sugar regulation, heart health promotion, protection against stomach cancer.
You can find more info here.

•INGREDIENTS•
→3 cups fresh or frozen peas
→1/2 packed cup mint
→2 tbls extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
→2 tbls tahini
→juice of 1/2 lemon
→1 clove garlic
→sea or Himalayan salt

If using frozen peas, bring a pot of water to boil, add the peas and cook for no more than 2-3 minutes (you don’t want your peas to get mushy and lose their color!), then drain and put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. After a couple of minutes drain.
In a mixer, or alternatively you can use an immersion blender, put all the ingredients together and blend into a smooth cream.
Store in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight before serving. Drizzle some olive oil on top and add a couple of mint leaves to make it look pretty 🙂

I used tahini in it to make it more creamy, but if preferred it can be left out or, instead of tahini, try with cashews or almonds (always pre soaked!).