Spring Salad Spotlights ~ Flavors of Fresh Garden Peas

With spring comes the freshest, most tender peas of the season. They are sweet, crisp and best when eaten raw or lightly cooked to bring out their beautiful, green color. Peas are easily grown at home in as little as three weeks, or can be found at the local farmers market, co-op, grocery store or possibly in a CSA share. Peas are in the legume family, similar to a bean, and they boast the health benefits of potassium, folate and fiber. This spring, try peas in a new way and add them to a cold salad or your favorite pasta dish.

Creamy Spring Pea Pasta Salad

Yields: 8-12 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

½ lb gluten-free penne pasta

½ sweet white onion, sliced thin

1 cucumber (English cucumber works well), seeded,
    peeled and sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas, removed from shell

½ cup sour cream (or vegan)

½ cup mayonnaise (or vegan)

1 tsp sugar (other sweeteners may change the flavor)

2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar (other vinegars may change the flavor)

½ tsp salt

In a medium stock pot, cook gluten-free penne pasta for 6 minutes or until al dente. Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold water to cool. Pour into a large bowl and set aside.

Thinly slice sweet onion and add to pasta. Slice cucumber in half lengthwise and remove seeds using a spoon. Peel the cucumber skin off. Then slice cucumber halves into thin slices and add to pasta. Add sweet peas.

In a small bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, white vinegar and salt. Mix well and pour over pasta salad. Toss to coat.

Serve warm or chilled.

Recipe courtesy of Tiffany Hinton, founder of Cultivating Guts. Connect online at @iamtiffanyhinton and listen to her podcast, Cultivating Guts, on Spotify or iTunes.