15-Minute All-Greens Soup

Serves: 4

¼ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ bunch loosely-packed kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley or basil
About 2 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water (NOTE: Add more or less liquid to reach your desired consistency.)
Salt and pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Prepare a large bowl with ice water. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the zucchini, celery and snow peas until fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Dunk into the prepared ice water bowl; drain and pat dry. Blanch the kale, spinach and parsley until bright green, about 45 seconds; drain and pat dry, then squeeze out any extra liquid. Place the onion mixture and half of the blanched vegetables and parsley in a blender; process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Return to the pot, stir in the broth, remaining vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Author's comments:
When I make this soup, I use whatever green vegetables and herbs I have in my fridge’s vegetable drawer. I’ve used kale, asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach, zucchini, celery, basil, parsley, cilantro. The list goes on and on, really. Please improvise with this recipe. The only ingredient you’ll need to adjust is the broth. Just add enough liquid until you reach your desired consistency. If I have any leftovers and I’m feeling decadent, I’ll melt in some shredded cheddar in the last few minutes of cooking.

But the beauty of blanching goes beyond the superficial. Blanching only takes a few minutes at most and will actually save you time in the long run. After blanching, all you need to do is blend the vegetables with a few more ingredients  and cook the soup on the stovetop just until heated through.
So what is blanching exactly? All it means is that you’re going to bring a large pot of water to a boil, add vegetables and cook until bright green and fork-tender, then you’ll dunk them into a big bowl of ice water and drain.
from Silvana's Kitchen 
http://www.silvanaskitchen.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-greens-soup/ 

Swiss Chard and Sweet Pea Manicotti

Yields: 12 stuffed manicotti

Cook the manicotti as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Grease 13x9 glass baking dish liberally with butter or cooking spray.

For the filling, you will need:
1 head (about 12 ounces) red or white swiss chard
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (26 ounces) jar of your favorite tomato sauce or homemade sauce
Extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese for topping

Using kitchen scissors or a knife, remove the leaves from the stems of the chard. Discard the stems. Chop the leaves into 1-inch pieces. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the chard and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Place the ricotta chesse, peas, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cooled chard mixture and blend until smooth. Fill each manicotti shell with filling. Place each filled manicotti in prepared baking dish. Top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until tops are golden. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

submitted by Erica Regan from www.foodnetwork.com

Garlic Stir-Fried Snap Peas

Makes 3 - 4 servings

3 cups sugar snap peas
1 Tbsp oil (any mild one)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice (optional)

Heat oil in skillet. Stir in garlic. Add peas; cook and stir 2 - 4 minutes on medium heat. Remove and sprinkle on lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Serve over rice, if desired.

From From Asparagus to Zucchini

Snappy Snap Pea Salad

Serves 4

2 cups snap peas
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 cups thinly sliced bok choi

Dressing
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1 teaspoon sugar, or more, to taste
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the snap peas, red onion, and bok choi. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, sugar, and garlic.

2. Pour the lime dressing over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Let the flavors marry for 30 minutes, and serve.

Adapted from Vegetarian Planet

About... Sugar Snap Peas

Eating: eat sugar snap peas as fresh as possible, within four or five days of harvest.

Storing: To store them, put whole, unwashed peas in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

Freezing:  Peas freeze well, but will lose their crunchy texture. Blanch all kinds of peas for 2 minutes, rinse under cold water to stop cooking process, drain well, and pack into airtight containers such as zip-lock freezer bags. [It is best to remove strings from sugar snap peas before freezing: snap off stem tip toward the flat side of the pod and pull downward.]

Tips from From Asparagus to Zucchini

Sugar Snap Stir Fry

Serves 4 to 6
 
12 ounces dried pasta of choice, such as fettuccine or rice noodles

Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons good-quality soy sauce
2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 clove minced garlic

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook noodles according to package directions. While pasta cooks, whisk together the broth, soy sauce. brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cornstarch, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, then set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and add tofu, cooking and turning to lightly brown all sides. Remove browned tofu and reserve.

3. Add onions to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes.

4. Add spinach and cook briefly, until just wilted. Add cooked pasta and green onions to pan and stir to combine. Top with browned tofu and serve immediately.

- inspired by Simply in Season

Asian Style Pasta

Serves 4

3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
1 Tbs. honey
3 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 eggplants (~ 1 lb. each) peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
8 oz. snow peas, strings removed, halved diagonally
2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into ½ inch wide strips
8 oz. papardelle or similar pasta

In a large bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, honey, garlic and ginger; set aside.

Steam eggplant (turning occasionally) about 15 mins., Add peas and peppers and cook until these are crisp-tender and eggplant is tender (~5 min.). Remove steamer from pan.

Cook pasta until al dente.

Combine pasta and vegetables and toss with soy mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature. To make it more spicy add up to 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper to the sauce.

Submitted by Cheryl Rowell summarized from Everyday Food