Split Pea Recipes – with a Fresh Twist

Split Pea Recipes: Split Pea Hummus, Wild Rice & Split Pea Salad

In all honesty, I’ve never cooked with split pea recipes before.   When I picture split pea anything, I picture green-ish brown baby food.  Having been around enough of that to last a lifetime, I’ve never chomped at the bit to cook or eat anything with split peas.

That being said, when I got sent a box-load of beans from Hurst Beans earlier this year, I buried the bag of split peas in the back of my pantry.  Since then, I’ve made black-eyed pea casserole, an amazing chili, and some rockin’ BBQ baked beans.   And then last week, those split peas caught my eye.   I’m a sucker for seasonality (peas and spring kinda go hand in hand), and I love a challenge.

I decided to cook those darn peas and come up with a way that I could love ’em.  I think you’ll like them too.  The Split Pea Hummus is a great appetizer for any meal.  For those tired of the same old hummus, you’ll appreciate the fresh flavor and the bright color that using split peas as a base provides.   Now, I’ve included tahini (sesame seed paste) in my recipe; in my opinion it makes hummus taste like, well, hummus.  I have a large jar of it in my pantry.  However, if you don’t make a lot of hummus, and you don’t want to invest in a jar of tahini, you can omit it.

Next, I made a Wild Rice and Split Pea Salad.  This is something I could get hooked on.  I’m always making hearty salads with couscous, quinoa and lentils, and I loved mixing it up with split peas.  I try to show my kids how to eat the rainbow in every meal and this is a great recipe for bright colors!

Split Pea Hummus

Ingredients
Hurst Beans Split Peas with Ham Flavoring
Garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon of tahini
4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
One lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
Salt to taste

Directions: Rinse peas in cold water and pick out any debris.  Bring 3 cups of water, half of Ham flavored seasoning packet, and garlic to a rolling boil.  Add in half of the bag of peas (approx. 1 cup & 1 tablespoon).  Reserve remaining peas and seasoning for another use (or to make this recipe again)!  Bring back to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 25 – 30 minutes or until just tender.   Drain.

In the bowl of a food processor combine peas, tahini and lemon juice and process.  Drizzle in three tablespoons of the olive oil until you reach a smooth consistency.  Salt to taste.   Serve at room temperature or chill until ready to use.  I like to top it with olive oil and salt just before serving.

Wild Rice and Split Pea Salad
Ingredients
Hurst Beans Split Peas with Ham Flavoring
Garlic clove, minced
1 cup of wild rice (not instant)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Rinse peas in cold water and pick out any debris.  Bring 3 cups of water, half of Ham flavored seasoning packet, and garlic to a rolling boil.  Add in half of the bag of peas (approx. 1 cup & 1 tablespoon).  Reserve remaining peas and seasoning for another use (or to make this recipe again)!  Bring back to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 25 – 30 minutes or until just tender.   Drain.

Meanwhile, cook wild rice according to package directions.

In  a large bowl, mix lemon juice, vinegar, honey, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Add in cooked peas and wild rice.  Toss in cherry tomatoes, red onion and parsley.  Mix well.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to mix well.  Top with additional parsley if desired.

*I was provided with product and compensated for my time on behalf of Hurst Beans.  All opinions, as always, are my own.