A few weeks ago, two of my old pea recipes started climbing again. Not a little bump. A real climb, on posts I had not thought about in ages.
So I went digging, because that is what I do. Turns out peas are having a full moment right now, and a lot of it traces back to one person: Raven Ross, whose entire account is peas and Pilates.
Which brings me to the embarrassingly funny part. I kept looking at her videos convinced I knew her from somewhere. I ran through the whole mental list. A workshop? A brand event? I seriously considered that I had taken one of her Pilates classes, which would have been quite a trick, since she teaches in Dallas and I live in LA.
Then it landed. Love Is Blind, season three.
This happens to me constantly. I become certain I know someone, I exhaust every possible connection, and then I realize I watched them on Netflix at eleven at night.
Anyway. Peas.
Why I eat them all the time
I haven’t posted a pea recipe in a while, which is funny, because I eat them weekly. A cup of frozen peas runs about 8 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. That is a lot of work from a bag that costs two dollars and lives in your freezer door.
Very few vegetables pull real weight on both numbers at once. Peas do.
What they will not do is carry a whole meal. Eight grams of protein is a good start and nowhere near the 25 to 40 grams you want on your plate, especially in your forties and fifties when you are protecting muscle. Most of the pea content going around right now stops at “peas have protein.” That is where mine starts.
So I built this around a double protein base: peas plus edamame, then shredded chicken on top. The dressing is the same ginger and rice vinegar direction as my quick pickles, because if you have been here a while, that flavor is already in your fridge.
Sesame Pea and Edamame Crunch Salad
Serves 2
For the salad
1 bag frozen peas, thawed and patted dry
1 cup shelled edamame, thawed
1 - 2 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
3 scallions, thinly sliced
5 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded
½ cup cilantro or mint, roughly chopped
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp chili crisp (optional)
For the dressing
3 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 clove garlic, grated
¼ tsp kosher salt
How to make it
Put the peas and edamame in a colander and run cool water over them until thawed (or pop them in the microwave - either works)
Add to a bowl with the cabbage, chicken, scallions, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and chili crisp (if using).
Add all the dressing ingredients, toss.
Let it sit 10 minutes before eating.
Make it work for your week. This will stay good for three to four days in the fridge. Plant-based? Swap in 7 oz of pressed, crispy tofu for the chicken.
Go make this one - you won’t regret it.
xx Lolita