Snap Peas with Feta Dressing

April 4, 2018

 

 

 

 

I’d like to send heartfelt thanks to all of you who reached out with support, love, solidarity and best wishes last week after reading this post about our struggles with Spring Teenage Apocalypse 2018. It really does help soothe the sting of things to realize that you’re not alone out there, and that it’s okay to admit when you’re feeling sad and overwhelmed. I’m truly grateful for each and every one of you.

It’s kind of too early to give any kind of update. I’ll just say that we’re still here, swimming some days and sinking others. But muddling through. I wasn’t sure how last week was going to go, considering it was the week of spring break. On one hand, I thought the extra sleep and easing of school pressures would be a good thing; I also was well aware that sometimes more parent-teenager contact for days at a time is the last thing kids want. It’s a sticky balance. I think we did okay.

There was much sulking about the return to school this week, so it couldn’t have been too torturous, right?

We woke Easter morning to a light dusting of snow, which wasn’t really a shocker. When Easter comes this early in the spring, it’s common to have a White Easter. Actually, in the Rocky Mountains, I think it’s more common to have a White Easter than a White Christmas. Spring is a fickle, fickle beast in these parts.

We had a fairly laid-back holiday, as my husband had to work the oddball 4-11 shift all weekend. My Daddy-o was still jet-lagged after a sleepless flight home from Hawaii so we all sort of lurched around like zombies, shoving ham and chocolate into our faces.

I usually try to incorporate at least a few healthy items into a holiday menu, hoping to avoid complete food coma (and remorse). We usually have at least two vegetable dishes on the table, one hot and one cold. This snap pea salad with a lemony feta dressing fit the bill nicely. Snap peas are one of the few vegetables that my whole family agrees upon, because really, what’s not to like? They’re sweet, they’re crunchy, and if prepared correctly (aka: shocked in an ice bath after a brief cook) they’re stunningly green and beautiful.

To be honest, at least half of my holiday plate was heaped with this salad. I liked it so much that I could almost ignore the potatoes, and that’s saying something.

If you’re looking for something to put the spring back in your step, give this a try. I do realize that some of you folks in the East are still buried under snow and can’t even think of spring yet (I’m sorry! You poor people have been walloped this year). Might I suggest that this might cheer you up a little?

Whether you were snowed in or basking in 70-degree temperatures, I hope your Easter was filled with love and good company. And maybe a few chocolate bunny ears.

 

 

 

 

Snap Peas with Feta Dressing

serves 4

slightly adapted from Cooking Light

 

8 ounces snap peas, trimmed

1/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

2 ounces Feta cheese, divided

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint, divided

1 teaspoon lemon or lime zest

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or pistachios

 

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the snap peas and cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Remove snap peas and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.

In a blender, combine yogurt, red wine vinegar, water, lemon juice, 1 ounce feta, 1/4 cup of the chopped mint and a dash of salt and pepper. Whir to combine.

Toss snap peas with dressing and crumble remaining feta and mint over. Top with sesame seeds and pine nuts.

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