Fresh Pea Hummus - vegan & gluten free

Hello and happy Monday! I hope the mommas out there had a good Mother's Day and felt loved and appreciated. Maybe you got a pasta necklace? or perhaps a fill-in-the-blank poem? My cousin got one that included a line about her smelling like jelly beans. That was my favorite part.

Now that we're fully into May, I hoping more of you out there have access to a nearby farmers' market. Perhaps you got a chance to go this weekend? (here are my top ten tips for having a great farmers' market experience) I have year-round ones available on Saturdays, but a local Thursday night one runs May-September only, and I got a chance to go for the first time last week. It felt so nice to be back! I got to check out my favorite farms and see the new booths. I learned that it's going to be a very short cherry season this year (#sadface) because winter here in the Bay Area was so weird (i.e. warm and dry). I forgot to ask if the same would be true of stone fruits like peaches, but I'd like to find that out this week (otherwise, I'm going to obsess about it, since we all know I'm somewhat in love with peaches). 

Anyway, among my purchases were my first peas of the season. Now, some people (ahem, mom.dad.) may express surprise at this since growing up I showed very little interest in peas. And I admit that they are still not my favorite vegetable in the world, but I've learned that fresh peas are dramatically better than frozen. They're sweet and tender and taste, well, pretty good. I like them raw in salads, mashed up into pesto, or, now, smooshed into hummus. Can you call it hummus if there are no garbanzo beans? 

This hummus is fast, easy, and you don't even need to turn on the stove. It's great with chips or as a sandwich topping. It's easily double-able, and if you don't have quite the right amount of an ingredient, don't sweat it. You can make it anyway, and it will still be tasty. 

Fresh Pea Hummus - vegan & gluten free
adapted from Whole Living

I think this would be good with several other variations, including using mint (or parsley or basil) instead of cilantro, or increasing only the volume of peas so that you taste them more. It's also tasty with roasted garlic in place of the raw. 

I found I didn't need to because my peas were fresh & tender, but should you wish to cook your peas, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add peas and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, then run under cold water or put into ice bath to stop cooking.

1 C fresh shelled peas
1/4 C fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 small clove minced garlic
1/8 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt

In food processor (or blender), pulse peas, cilantro, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin 30 to 40 seconds. Season with salt to taste.

Springtime Pasta Alfredo with Peas - vegan & gluten free

I first read about making creamy, vegan things from cashews a few years ago in a gourmet vegan cookbook my mom checked out from the library. I don't remember the title, nor the chef, but he was somewhat famous and vegan. So, not really famous, probably, but well known within a niche, perhaps? Anyway, at that time, gourmet+vegan was a much newer idea, and making whipped cream from cashews? Well, that was just crazy innovative.

Fast-forward to the present, and cashew cream sauces are a regular thing on blogs, and cashew whipped cream isn't as crazy as it once sounded. The idea has been floating around in the back of my head for quite a while at this point, but most of the recipes I've seen for cashew alfredo sauce instruct the cook to soak the nuts overnight. Now, maybe you're more on top of things than I am, but I rarely plan a weeknight dinner a day in advance. Or two, really, if you need to be sure you have the appropriate ingredients.

Pasta with Pea Pesto - vegan & gluten free

Surprise! A weekend post, because I love you. And because this week was somewhat lame, blogging wise.

Last Saturday, for the first time in quite awhile, I was able to go to my current favorite farmers' market. The changes since my last visit (a month ago? maybe 6 weeks?) were pretty astounding. Summer's bounty is certainly upon us. There was a very long line of people waiting to buy the first local corn of the year; lots of stands had tomatoes for sale, not just the one farm with a greenhouse; raspberries and blackberries are in; sweet pea bouquets provided a cheap pick-me-up.

There were also peas for sale. You know, the kind that come in pods, not the frozen section of your grocery store. Growing up, friends and family will attest, I was not a fan of peas. I don't know if I ever refused to eat them (which was rarely an option anyway), but I certainly ate them under duress.