Perfect Pea Salad

I love green garden peas, called in my household as I was growing up, English Peas.  I love them in any form:  split pea soup, pea salad, sprinkled on a fresh green salad, dried with wasabi, any way.  My husband, on the other hand, hated green garden peas with as much vigor as I loved them.  Needless to say, we didn’t have peas often at my house.  (We came to a mutually beneficial agreement early on that I would not serve green pea-based foods if he would not ask me to make tapioca pudding. Yuck!)

So I always had a nice helping of split pea soup or pea salad when he was out of town or when I was out with friends.  And I relished it!

Here is my rendition for an easy green pea salad.  I hope you like it as much as I do.

Perfect Pea Salad

Ingredients: 

• 1 bag frozen peas, thawed
• 1lb bacon, cooked & chopped
• 2 tbsp red onion, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, cubed (shredded, if you prefer.  However, cubed is traditional.)

Dressing:  

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tsp milk

Directions: In a salad bowl toss together the thawed peas, onion, cheese, and bacon.  In a separate bowl, blend together the ingredients for the dressing: the mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk.  Add the dressing to the peas and mix well. Let rest in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve, for up to 2 days.  

Serve plain on a bed of cold lettuce leaves, with a sprinkling of chopped dillweed. Or add fresh carrot sticks, celery stalks, cucumber slices, and a hardboiled egg on the side to make a meal.  Other suggestions might include avocado on the side or fresh tomato wedges with slices of hard, crusty bread.  The combinations are endless.

This is a great recipe for picnics but it does not last well without refrigeration.  I have found the solution to that problem.  This bowl will keep anything inside it cool (or hot) for hours, greatly reducing the risk of food-borne illnesses.  There are two sizes available.  I chose the smaller size because it fits my needs better. And, you know, I got the red one!

Enjoy!