A Healthy Recipe with Peas and Endives

In this healthy recipe the sharp and bitter taste of endives is mellowed with the combination of delicately sweet green peas. Serve this as a side dish to meats and fish. Or serve this as a very light and nutritious meal topped over rice. For a healthy lunch or dinner this also makes an excellent appetizer. Only basic ingredients are used in this recipe including green peas, endives, onions, water, butter, and salt and pepper to taste.

The green peas need to be shelled or removed from the pod and washed well before making this recipe. The endives need to be also washed and shredded. Slice the onions into thin strips. Both endives and peas are low in calories and make a highly nutritious dish that can be made part of a healthy diet. Often added to salads endives are eaten raw. It is cooked in butter until tender in this recipe together with the peas. Use fresh peas instead of frozen, canned or dried peas for superior flavor.

Endive is a good source of minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamins A and K and folate. It helps maintain a healthy digestive system and is also high in fiber. There are different varieties of endives. Sometimes chicory and endive are used interchangeably. Curly endive or frisée and escarole or broad-leaved endive are the two main varieties of cultivated endive. The curly endive has narrow leaves that is bright green in color and is curly on the edges. Curly endive is also known as chicory in the United States. It is called chicorée frisée in French. Escarole, on the other hand, has broad leaves that are pale green in color and are less bitter than the curly endive. It also include many varieties known by different names like Bavarian endive, Belgian endive, Batavian endive, scarola, grumolo, and scarole.

 

Ingredients

14 oz. green peas, shelled

2 endives, washed, shredded

1 medium onion, sliced

4 cups water

1 tablespoon butter

Seasonings to taste

1. To a pan add all ingredients and cook for 20-25 minutes. Stir often. Cook covered over medium heat.

2. Add the seasonings near the end of the cooking. Stir well. Serve hot in a soup bowl.