Starting with P Salad

I am well aware that I did this backwards but I had just finished making the pea soup, last night, and since I made the recipe up, as I went along, I knew I had to blog it, immediately.  I didn’t take notes and counted on my pics to remind me.  Rather than mess up the soup, I did that before the salad, it is based on.  This made a wonderful base for a soup.  Who would have thought?

I think I had better briefly explain what is going on, in my house, and explain what you will be seeing in the next few weeks.

The holiday of Passover or Pesach, which some of us call it, means to many Jewish families, a complete turnover of one’s kitchen and yes, even one’s home.  The kitchen and dining room get the mosts hits.  There is a photo in my camera of just one pile of food that has to be removed.

“All foods that contain any barley, oats, rye, spelt, or wheat are forbidden to be consumed during the Passover or Pesach festival. This is because if any of these 5 grains come into contact with water, the resulting dough will become chametz (“leaven” in Hebrew) which of course is forbidden to be touched or consumed during the Passover or Pesach festival. These 5 grains are forbidden in order to avoid the potential for accidental contact of any of these 5 grains with water during Passover or Pesach since a Jewish person is not permitted to derive benefit from, consume, or own chametz during Passover or Pesach. The exception to this is the unleavened bread known as Matzo in Hebrew, which must be made with one of the aforementioned ingredients in order to duplicate the ingredient that was used by the Hebrews in combination with water in creating and baking the dough in haste when the Hebrews were fleeing Egypt that was to result in the creation of unleavened bread instead of leavened bread.”

This is a great holiday for those with celiac.  Other than matzah, it is easy to eat like everyone else, and it is a time to go to the store and stock up on a few items, you might want during the year.  I have to take my camera to the stores so you can see what is available.  I highly recommend that if you are close to a kosher store, some time, in the next few weeks, you go on over and see if there is anything you need.  Prices are not great but there are some bargains.

As I am attempting to empty my home of what is called chametz, in order that I will be free of the forbidden for Passover. I am cooking with the object being, using only food I must get rid of.  Thus the pea and peanut salad/soup.  Peas and peanuts are both prohibited.

For the next two weeks, you will see recipees with lots of pasta, canned and frozen foods that are not marked for Passover.  After, that you will see different recipes.  For those with celiac, you should enjoy these.  Actually, I think Passover food is delicious and that everyone enjoys it.

Peanuts and Pea Salad – Starting with P Salad

1 cup roasted peanuts

1/8 cup chopped parsley

1 cup chopped celery

1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup of either bottled Italian dressing or your own dressing

Method:

Combine peanuts, celery, onion, parsley and peas in a medium bowl.

Combine mayonnaise and Italian dressing in a smaller bowl.  (I use a measuring cup.)

Add dressing to vegetable and mix so that vegetables are coated with dressing.

This should be refrigerated.

This salad has a nice crunch from the celery and peanuts.  

I am Stuck Soup

I know, the post title must sound strange.  When I post a recipe, I usually know what I plan to do and what I think the results

actionwill be.  Not this time.  I started off with a pea soup and realized I had some Pea and Peanut salad left over.  This would make  a good base for the soup.  It already had a distinctive flavor that we like so hopefully, I would improve upon this, in soup form. Then I decided to add a chili cube which would change it completely and then along came rice to add.  While, I was at it, sour cream sounded good.  It is almost a kitchen sink recipe.

This is a crockpot recipe and a very easy one, at that.   If you have a suggestion for a name, please do share. 

1 portion pea and peanut salad (will give you the recipe)’                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

2 cups organic vegetable soup

additional 2 cups of frozen peas, defrosted

2/3 cup of mxed rice

1/2 cup Tofutti sour cream

a frozen cube chili seasoning

Method:

Place leftover pea and peanut salad in the crockpot with organic vegetable soup.

Add remaining ingredients and let cook for one hour on high.

Add the rice.

Lower to low and leave it on for four additional hours.

Using immersion blender or regular blender, mix soup ingredients until you have a thick soup with some little lumps.  If you like it totally smooth, let the blender go longer.  If you like the peas whole, don’t use the blender.

Then either eat, freeze or refrigerate.