What about some PEAS for all of us!

Storage

It is best to serve all types of fresh peas the day they are purchased. If they must be stored, place them in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. Do not wash them before they are stored. Shell green peas right before you cook them.

Preparation

Rinse peas before shelling them. To shell peas, pinch the stem off with your fingernails and pull the string down the length of the pod. The pod will pop open and the peas can be pushed out of the pod with your thumb. When finished, wash all peas.

Rinse snow peas and sugar snap peas before use. To trim snow peas, cut the tips from both ends of the pod. This can be done with kitchen shears. Sugar snap peas need to have the strings removed before eaten cooked or raw. The string runs around both sides of the sugar snap pod. It is easiest to start from the bottom tip and pull the string up the front, and then snap the stem off and pull the string down the back of the pod.

Varieties

Green peas are nestled within large, bulging, grass green pods that are typically round and sweet. The green pea pods are tough, do not have good flavor, and therefore, are not eaten.

Snow peas (Chinese pea pods) and sugar snap peas are more often found fresh, but many companies are now selling them frozen. These peas are eaten raw or cooked with the pod intact

Recipes

Vegetarian PaellaMakes 4 servings.

Ingredients

1½ Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
½ tsp paprika
1 ½ cups long grain brown rice
3 ¾ cups stock or vegetable broth
¾ cups dry white wine
14 oz can tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 Tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp tarragon
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 green pepper, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced
½ cup snow pea pods
2/3 cup frozen peas, trimmed
1/3 cup cashew nut pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil; sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add paprika and rice and continue to cook for 4 -5 minutes or until rice is transparent. Stir occasionally. Add stock, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, and herbs and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Add peppers, celery, mushrooms, and pea pods and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until rice is cooked. Add peas, cashews, salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and place on a large heated serving dish.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 454, Fat, 12g, Saturated Fat 2g, Carbohydrates 71g, Cholesterol 0mg, Dietary Fiber 10g, Sodium 295mg, Protein 12g.

Broccoli: Why does moms all over the world want us to eat this vegetable?

Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years, The name "broccoli" comes for the Latin word brachium, which means "branch," or "arm." Americans have grown it in their gardens for only about 200 years! The first commercially grown broccoli was grown and harvested in New York, then planted in the 1920's in California. 

Fresh vs. Frozen - FRESH IS BETTER

Packaged frozen broccoli differs from fresh in its nutrient content. The flower buds or florets are richer in beta-carotene than the stalks. Manufactures typically cut off most of the stalk before packaging it, so frozen broccoli may contain 35% more beta-carotene by weight than fresh broccoli. The downside is that frozen broccoli has twice as much sodium as fresh (up to 68 mg per 10 oz. package), about half the calcium, and smaller amounts of iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin C.

The best way to cook broccoli is to steam, cook in the microwave or stir-fry with a little broth or water. These methods are better than boiling. Some of the vitamin and mineral content are lost from the vegetable and end up in the cooking water when they are boiled. 

A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Broccoli consumption has also been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of heart disease 

Cooked Broccoli Serving size 1/2 cup cooked (78g) Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value Calories 25 Calories from Fat 5 Total Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 30mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%   Dietary Fiber 3g 11%   Sugars 1g Protein 2g Vitamin A 30% Vitamin C 80% Calcium 4% Iron 2% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Raw Broccoli Serving size 1/2 cup raw (36g) Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value Calories 10 Calories from Fat 0 Total Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 10mg 0% Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%   Dietary Fiber 1g 4%   Sugars 1g Protein 1g Vitamin A 20% Vitamin C 60% Calcium 2% Iron 2% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Source: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/broccoli.html