A few months ago, I joined a friend for dinner at Proof in downtown Washington, DC. Proof's menu is very eclectic and not for those not willing to try something new and different and God forbid if you should ask the chef to create a variation on your meal choice such as add raw onion to your salad because you like it that way.
That night I tried the Roasted Beet salad with Pea Shoots. I had no idea what a pea shoot was but figured that if it was a salad ingredient, I'd probably like it. Similar to micro greens or other spouts, Pea Shoots have a mildly intense flavor that stands up to other flavorful ingredients in fresh green salads. I didn't eat every beet on that plate, but I certainly lapped up every possible tiny tender pea shoot green which really only served as a bed for the beets.
Stuck with this great flavor in my head, I ran to Trader Joe's and searched the produce section in hopes of finding pea shoots. And, there they were nicely packed blaring with bragging rights that these little tenders were packed with vitamin C. What? Could there be more? Indeed. It turns out my little pea shoots contain 7 times more vitamin C than that wonder fruit they call blueberries. In fact, one portion (2cups) contains about 36% of the RDA of Vitamin C and about 15% of Vitamin A. Not only that, it is also an awesome source of folic acid which is a part of those wonderful B vitamins which helps make healthy cells and blood and helps you prego chics in the development of your unborn baby. Its low in carbs, calories, sugars and sodium and can be an additional source of protein and fiber.
Sold? Since you probably are, consider trading out your romaine for pea shoots and let me know what you think. The following recipe is one my favorite ways to eat them:
Asian Pea Shoot Salad (serves two as a meal)
4 cups pea shoots (rinsed and drained)
.5 cups thinly sliced red onion
.5 cups shredded cabbage
.5 cups shredded carrots
.5 cups mung bean sprouts
mix the ingerdients together and toss with a low fat/low sodium asian vinagrette
Going to try this recipe Mik, looks tastee...looking for a shrimp salad recipe.
ReplyDeleteHey John....we like Curry Shrimp Pasta Salad. Basically, do a simple sautee on your shrimp with evoo and about two table spoons of a really good authentic curry powder and a teaspoon of honey. Using a whole grain pasta such as Linguine, prepare pasta according to the package and drain (but do not rinse)...add about a 1/4 cup each of shredded carrots, thinly sliced onion, and julienne red bell pepper. Add warm shrimp and pan juices and toss. Add about two-three tablespoons more evoo, and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. finish with a heaping 1/4 cup of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm all over that recipe Chef Parrish, thanks again for the quick response. Going to make me some hummy Curry Shrimp Pasta Salad on Sat. thanks for the recipe my friend. I'll be sure to take a photo to share with you. Ha Ha!
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