An Ode to Frozen Peas

They’re round and froggy green. They have a tendency to roll off your plate. They can be sweet like summer or starchy – the perfect winter food. You can buy them fresh, but most people go frozen.

They are peas. And they are my friends.

For the mom of a picky eater (what toddler isn’t), they are a Godsend. Little Z pretty much eschews all meat, unless we can get creative with some dipping sauce. And even then you run the danger of said sauce becoming more enticing than the meat. Watching your toddler try and drink the dipping sauce instead of the meat it’s supposed to “enhance” is my top food related frustration.

And yes, drink. The whole bowl.

But have no fear! Peas are here!

Peas are a great source of vegetarian protein, so much so, that I’ve noticed many protein powders and shakes out there have begun using them. They are rich in vitamins C and K, manganese, and have pretty good Omega-3 fats to boot. They help regulate blood sugar, too, because their high fiber and protein ratios slow down how fast sugars are digested.

While fresh is always best, most frozen peas have been harvested at optimal ripeness and flash frozen, so you still get great bang for your buck when fresh is unavailable.

And what about  that good ol’ bag of frozen peas in your freezer? As any mama knows – best ice pack in the world. We even have a some frozen peas in a small baggie for kiddie size boo-boos.

And did you know that Canada is the largest producer of peas in the world? O Canada! Our home and native peas!

Peas please!

And then there’s the other night. They definitely saved my sanity when Little Z couldn’t fall asleep after a nightmare. We tried everything to get him to nod off again. Bupkis. That’s when he decided that 2 am was the best time for a snack and there was no talking him out of it. (You try arguing with a 21 month old when you’re barely awake!)

He took one bite of everything offered and refused more. That’s when this mama clued in and remembered the bag of  peas in the freezer.

Snack for the little man. Sleep for mama. Peas for all!

The Great Kimchi Experiment

Kimwha?

kim·chi

noun \ˈkim-chē\

: a vegetable pickle seasoned with garlic, red pepper, and ginger that is the national dish of Korea

— Merriam-Webster.com

Kimchi! Koreans love kimchi. They eats a ton of it. According to Health.com, about 40lbs per person per year. Yowza!

Aside from tasting incredibly yummy, it’s also loaded with a ton of vitamins, and because it’s slightly fermented, a whole whack load of good bacteria. Just Google it, you’ll see. My only problem with kimchi, is that it’s fiery hot! Not a problem for the happy Hubby, who’s been known to snack on kimchi when we get home late after a dance practice, but my mouth can’t take the heat!

Then I found a recipe by accident while I was trawling on Pinterest, and I decided to give it a try. As it turns out, kimchi is super easy to make. For those of you who like to make your own pickles (kovászos uborka in Hungarian), you’ll have no problem with kimchi.

Get ‘er done…

Ingredients

1 head napa cabbage (looks like savoy, but long)

1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt *

Water*

1 tbsp grated garlic

1 tsp grated ginger*

1 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp seafood flavor or water*

1-5 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes (1 tbsp for mild, more if you like it really hot)

8 oz Korean radish or daikon

4 green onions

Items with an asterisk have further notes below.

 

Instructions

1. Cut your cabbage into quarters and cut out the hare core. Cut crosswise into 2″ strips.
2. Salt the cabbage and give it a good rub. You want to “massage” the salt into the cabbage so that it starts to wilt. At this point you may be thinking that you’re going to have more kimchi than you’ll know what to do with, but no worries – it will condense together by the time you’re at the last step.
3. Rinse and drain the cabbage. Rinse again, and again. I used a salad spinner to help here.
4. Peel your radish and cut it into matchstick sized pieces. To save time, I used a mandolin. Super easy.
5. Make your past by combining your garlic, ginger, sugar and seafood flavoring/water to make a smooth paste. Add your pepper flakes (I used 1 1/2 tbsp for this first batch).
6. Combine your cabbage and your paste. Add the radish and green onion. Mix it good, real good (rubber gloves aren’t a bad idea here, unless you like smelling like fish sauce while the red pepper starts to sting your hands).
7. Pack it into a clean 1 quart jar, pushing down so that some of the juices come up to cover the kimchi. Make sure there’s no veggies poking out at the top. Keep them covered, but leave about an inch of head space.
8. Seal the jar with it’s lid and set it out on your counter top for 1-5 days. Keep it away from any other fermentation projects you may have going (like kefire, yogurt, pickles, etc…). You may also want to put a plate or bowl under your jar to catch any juices that get squeezed out during fermentation.
9. Check your jar daily to see if it’s reached your desired tanginess. Make sure your push down the veggies with a clean spoon to make sure they stay submerged. Once you think it’s ready, store it in your fridge. You can eat it right away, but apparently, it gets better after about a week or two.

Notes

• Check your salt – make sure your salt does not have any iodine or caking agents. Not good for fermentation. A pickling salt will also do.
• Check your water – chlorinated tap water is also not good for fermentation. Use spring or filtered water. You can also take some tap water, boil it for a few minutes and then let it cool. The chlorine will largely evaporate away and you should be good. I’ve never tried this, and you must let the water cool to room temperature before using it.
• Freeze your ginger – ever try to grate ginger only to have it get all fibrous and clog up your grater? Freeze it first, then scrape off the outer peel with a knife before grating.
• Fish flavouring – I used a Vietnamese fish sauce, but really, whatever you like is supposed to work out. I used 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp water since the fish sauce has a robust (really stinky) flavour.

Your turn!

Have you tried making kimchi or any other fermented foods? Know of any really good resources? I’m always on the lookout for something new!

Until next time!