Pea Guacamole Recipe

It’s not unusual for family or friends to ask me, “What’s coming up next on the blog?”  This week when I was asked and I proudly answered “Pea Guacamole!”, well, those folks looked back at me like I had finally gone ’round the bend.

Pea Guacamole?? Why in the world would you do that?  Why don’t you just use some avocados like everyone else? What were you thinking ??

Believe it or not I was thinking some completely rational thoughts – AND – I’m happy to report that this recipe for pea guacamole is quite delicious and received excellent feedback from the friends who snacked on it with us.

I’ve been motivated recently to re-think my diet and start making some changes.  This came about after reading two books – Healthy at 100, (which I just randomly discovered on the return cart at my local library) and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, a book that was referred to several times in the Healthy at 100 book.   Both of these books made very convincing cases that our diets are extremely important to good health and that plant-based diets in particular are very beneficial in helping overcome many of our modern ailments.  My hope is that I can lower my somewhat high cholesterol readings through diet before I have to resort to pills and keep heart disease away too – an ailment of both my parents.

And that’s how I discovered Pea Guacamole.  It was a recipe included in the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease book that I decided to test out.  Because avocado is a fruit/vegetable that’s high in fat content, the peas are used instead for a healthier plant-based snacking option.  And in my opinion, the substitution works!

This homemade dip can be a money saver too.  Frozen peas are usually cheaper to buy than avocados and might also be something you usually have around the house.  I would, however, recommend that you use fresh cilantro (not dried) in this recipe.  I felt it was the key ingredient that gave this mixture it’s fresh and yummy flavor.  That being said, I did use minced garlic in a jar because I had no fresh garlic cloves around, and felt the recipe still came out fine. Some might disagree with me on that point as I know people can be very particular about using fresh garlic! { which is why I left the jar of minced garlic out of the picture below 🙂 }

This recipe is my adaptation of the recipe from the above referenced book, which I then tweaked to include a couple ingredients from the traditional guacamole recipe I had already been using.  Here’s how to do it:

Pea Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Frozen Peas
• Handful of Fresh Cilantro
• Juice from 1 Lime (about 1½ tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
• 1/2 cup Chopped Tomato
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

Thaw the peas slightly by letting them sit in some warm water for a few minutes (they will soften a bit but will still be cold).  Then drain the water off the peas and place the peas in a food processor.

Add the cilantro, lime juice, and minced garlic to the food processor and then process to mix things together well (you may want to stop once during the process to scrape down the sides).

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and then stir in the chopped onion and chopped tomato.  Finally stir in the salt and the red pepper flakes.

Let the mixture set for 10 or 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together.

Serve with the munchies of your choice (baked chips or veggies are healthier options) and refrigerate any leftovers.