Honey Glazed Snap Peas

1 lb sugar snap peas

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon honey

Freshly ground black pepper

Remove strings from both edges of the pea pod.  Mel the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sugar snap peas and stir fry for six-eight minutes or until crisp-tender.  Add the honey and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly until the peas are covered with the honey.  Remove from heat and sprinkle pepper over all.  

Garlic Lemon Snow Peas

1 Tablespoon soft butter

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel, yellow part only (the white part is bitter)

½ clove very finely minced garlic

1 lb. snow peas, washed, trimmed of strings, steamed until tender and drained

Mix butter, lemon peel and garlic together.  Let this melt over the hot drained snow peas.  Give it a toss and serve.

Gingered Snap Peas

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb snap peas, strings removed

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

¼ cup water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add peas and ginger.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until peas begin to brown, about five minutes.  Add the water, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring and scraping up ginger from bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.  Cook until beans are crisp tender, about two minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Thai Peanut Sauce

This sauce is good for dipping vegetables or using for a stir fry sauce.  It would be good with raw peas, or with peas as a base ingredient for a stir fry. 

½ cup peanut butter (the natural kind with peanuts and salt as the only ingredients)

2 cloves of minced garlic

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons (or less) hot chili oil

1 ½ teaspoons minced cilantro

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients until well combined.  Chill for a few hours to blend flavors.  Serve with and assortment of fresh vegetables for dipping.

To use a stir-fry sauce:  Stir fry the meat until cooked through and/or vegetables until tender – crisp.  Right before removing from the heat, add 1/3 – 1 cup of this sauce, depending on quantity of stir fry ingredients and desire.  Heat through before serving. 

Oven Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

• kosher salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spread sugar snap peas in a single layer on a medium baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with shallots, thyme, and kosher salt. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender but firm.

Snap peas with Lemon and Toasted Almonds

1 cup water

2 ½ cups snap peas, trimmed or ends and strings

1 ½ teaspoons butter

½ teaspoon grated lemon rind (yellow part only – the white part is bitter)

2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

¼ teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a medium pan.  Add peas.  Cook for two minutes or until tender crisp.  Drain peas in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 teaspoon of the cooking water.

Combine peas, reserved cooking water, butter, and lemon rind.  Toss gently to combine.  Sprinkle with almonds, salt and pepper.  Toss gently to combine. 

Sugar Snap Pasta Primavera

• Sugar Snap peas, trimmed of strings and halved

• Green asparagus, cut into 2” pieces

• Penne or bow-tie pasta

• Butter

• Olive oil

• Freshly grated Parmesan

• Italian parsley

In a large pot, cook penne or bow-tie pasta in rapidly boiling water. A few minutes before the pasta is done cooking, drop in the halved Sugar Snap peas and 2” asparagus pieces. Cook for two to three minutes more. Drain and toss the pasta and vegetables with equal parts butter and olive oil, freshly grated parmesan and chopped Italian parsley. Easy and delicious.

Stir Fried Snow Peas and Mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 pound snow peas

• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the sesame seeds about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.   Heat oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Stir in snow peas and mushrooms, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.  Mix in the teriyaki sauce and heat through.  Put in a serving bowl and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.