Peas: food value, benefit and harm, recipes

Peas are considered to be one of the most ancient plants cultivated by man on earth.He appeared on the tables of noble people and ordinary citizens for several thousand years BC. And today, this useful product remains very popular in the cuisines of different nations of the world. Both Olivier salad lovers and healthy lifestyle lovers appreciate it. And the truth, despite the sufficient calorie content, peas are considered to be a dietary and very valuable product due to the abundance of its vitamins and trace elements.

Many traditionally consider green peas to be one of the main ingredients of New Year's salad. However, very few people know about all its beneficial properties and almost miraculous effects on the human body. Fresh peas - very healthy food. After heat treatment, it can completely replace with it any single dish (for example, as a side dish).

This annual green plant is very unpretentious, so that for hundreds of years it provided people with food even in the most difficult times. In different periods, both rich grandees and commoners ate it.

The product is good in summer heat, when you do not want to eat hot side dishes with meat, but your body needs to be fed with long-lasting digestible elements.

In its raw form, a 100-gram serving of peas has a nutritional value of 72 kilocalories. Proteins in the fruit contains 5 grams, fat - 0.18 grams, carbohydrates - 13.4 grams.

The main nutrients in the composition of peas are vitamins A, B, C, H, K. The chemical elements included in its composition are iron, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium. The product also contains valuable vegetable protein, dietary fiber, starch, vegetable sugar and fats.

Young peas are divided into two main types: grain (shelling) and chaff (asparagus). In the former, only immature grains are eaten, and hard woody skin is thrown away. The second is eaten straight with the pods, as they are rather sugary and tender, practically without coarse fibers. Very many of the varietal varieties used in eastern countries and in Asia. Such a product is a completely independent dish there.

It is important to choose the right kind of pods for food. The boxes should be of a delicate green color, and the grains themselves should be small, only emerging. When breaking the pod should crunch and crack. If this does not happen, then the vegetable is already overripe and only the seeds themselves can be eaten.

The peculiarity of the storage of such peas is the need for its quick freezing immediately after harvest. This vegetable is very delicate: sugar in peas and pods, which the variety is so rich in, immediately turns into starch after separation from the branch. Therefore, in order to preserve the taste and juiciness of the product, it is necessary to tear it in small portions and immediately freeze it.

One hundred grams of dried peas contain 300 kilocalories, BJU - 22 / 2.1 / 53.8 grams.

In addition, dried peas contain vitamin A, pantothenic acid, thianin, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and a number of important vitamins and trace elements. It is most often used to make soups and hot side dishes.

Peas in canned form may contain a different number of calories, depending on how much sugar and salt is added to the marinade manufacturer. Typically, caloric content ranges from 70-85 kilocalories per 100 grams. Proteins - 3.8 grams, fats - 0.15 grams, carbohydrates - about 10-12 grams.

Canned vegetables are one of the most affordable and versatile in their use in cooking. It serves as an ingredient in a number of salads, forms the basis of soups and is used as a side dish. You can use peas and as a filling for baking. Water from under a canned vegetable can be drunk or added to the first dish when cooking soup or borscht. It will give a special touch to the dishes.

Vegetable has long been known for its wide range of beneficial properties. It is used in the treatment and prevention of a number of diseases - from beriberi, then tuberculosis. Often used peas and as an ingredient in healing compositions in folk recipes. Our ancestors have long noticed the versatility of using this simple vegetable, which turns out to be very difficult in its chemical composition.

The main useful feature of the product is the presence in its composition of a significant amount of useful, quickly digestible protein of plant origin. This means that the product is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and anyone who carefully cares about their health and body shape.

For those who already suffer from this disease, a green vegetable should always be on the table. It reduces the risk of complications of asthma attacks.

Eating fresh peas will benefit children and pregnant women. The abundance of vitamins of the group In its composition will help establish the proper metabolism in the body. No less beneficial this substance affects the functioning of the human nervous system.

Peas are very useful for children, as it contains a lot of vitamin C, F, selenium, copper and zinc, as well as an amount of iodine sufficient for a child's diet. These substances are extremely necessary for the child in the process of full growth and development. You can start giving peas as a complementary food from as early as 8 months. And by the age of one and a half, we can safely teach a child to the periodic appearance of a vegetable in the diet.

Doctors and nutritionists recommended the use of legumes for heart defects. The presence of peas in the daily diet is good for the health of the heart muscle. The manifestation of arrhythmia decreases or completely disappears.

Science has proven that peas have powerful anti-bacterial properties. For this reason, it is recommended for people with tuberculosis. The product effectively destroys pathogens in the body of patients.

Eating a fresh vegetable helps to lose weight. Nutritionists recommend it as one of the main products in the fight against obesity. This happens because, despite the fairly significant caloric content, peas consist of a large amount of well-digestible proteins.

Apply peas and diseases of the genitourinary system. Recently, doctors have discovered that it has an effective therapeutic effect on the prostate in men. It will be useful to peas and healthy people who want to maintain good potency for a long time. It has been known for a long time that regular consumption of pea dishes has a beneficial effect on the increase in libido.

There is an opinion that the vegetable of the legume family should not be used if there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract. However, a few fresh peas, by contrast, help to cope with a fit of heartburn.

Culture has a very good effect in treating shallow wounds, burns and hematomas due to its antiseptic and hemostatic properties. When preparing the solution for application to the damaged surface, use well-crushed peas mixed with egg white.

Dried peas can lower blood pressure and have a mild diuretic effect. Its ability to lower harmful cholesterol helps in preventing the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Vitamin A along with beta-carotene will support the health of those who have poor eyesight.

Many contain peas and pyridoxine. This substance will be useful to those who suffer from various types of cramps or dermatitis (regardless of the nature of their origin).

For a long time to preserve the youth and strength of hair and nails, to improve the condition of the skin will immediately help the whole group of trace elements contained in the green vegetable. For beauty and shine of skin and hair, the benefits of peas are simply awesome.

Nicotinic acid in vegetables affects the content of harmful substances in the blood, including cholesterol.

A large amount of plant fiber in peas with constant moderate consumption helps cleanse the body of toxins.

Long pea in folk medicine has long served as an excellent remedy for skin diseases and problems with the heart and blood vessels. Due to its high nutritional value and high content of harmless vegetable sugar, peas are able to saturate the body well even in winter, when the diet is already scarce for healthy fresh vitamins. He is good for those who adhere to the post.

Canned green peas contain inositol. This is a rare substance that can help the liver to clear excess fat deposits. Well affects the product and the quality of blood, increasing its hemoglobin level and reducing the amount of harmful cholesterol.

Stimulates this vegetable and the proper functioning of immunity. A good help can be provided by its substance to those who feel chronic fatigue and apathy.

With moderate consumption of vegetables can not harm the human body. In very rare cases of allergies to peas. Excessive consumption can cause heaviness in the abdomen and increased gas formation in people who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

It tends to accumulate in muscles, joints, and tendons with age. With low physical activity, these deposits can cause pain and lead to the development of diseases of the joints.

For dietary purposes, it is not possible to recommend the consumption of vegetables in canned form. The product contains salt and sugar and in itself is quite high in calories. However, a small amount of peas as a substitute of a full-fledged side dish is able to quickly saturate the body without much harm to the figure.

The ancient Romans considered peas to be the food of the poor. In medieval France, on the contrary, the vegetable was the food of the elect and was even served for the king's festive table. Now, thanks to its beneficial properties and wide distribution, peas have won love all over the world.It is used raw and in the composition of the first, second hot dishes, in the preparation of various salads and pastries. No less popular and canned product, especially in Russia.

On the shelves you can find a lot of cans with canned green peas. But if you are pleased with the harvest, then you can make the roll-in and yourself on an uncomplicated recipe.

Peas should first of all be peeled and washed with cold water. Per portion will need the amount of peas with a volume of about three liters. For the preparation of suitable three-liter jars or 5-6 cans with a volume of 0.5 liters. Dishes should be well cleaned with baking soda and sterilized.

Cook the peas in the pan for about 20-25 minutes. In that case, if the product is overripe and became harsh, you can cook for 10 minutes longer. Then the water is drained and put the peas on the banks.

Prepare the marinade, for which you will need one liter of water, one tablespoon of salt and sugar, three teaspoons of 9% table vinegar. In a liter of hot water, thoroughly mix the salt and sugar, bring to a boil. The resulting solution is poured to the brim. Before closing, add a teaspoon of vinegar to each liter jar (half a jar of jar on the floor is half a spoon, respectively). Close the lid tightly, turn the cans upside down, cover well to save heat. When the canned food has cooled, you can remove it for storage.

Pea puree is an easy and healthy dish that will delight the whole family and take you no more than half an hour to cook. Mashed potatoes will be an excellent side dish for meat or fish.

To prepare meals for 3-4 people you will need:

1. 500-600 grams of peas (fresh or frozen);
2. medium sized onion;
3. 2-3 garlic cloves;
4. 2 tablespoons cream 25% fat;
5. 2 tablespoons of butter (can be used and vegetable);
6. salt to taste

Onions need to be cleaned and cut into cubes, fry on a gentle fire in a deep frying pan until golden. Add peas to the pan, salt and pepper (if necessary), mixing well. On a medium-high fire we ferment peas with onions for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add the cream and continue to stir, not bringing to a boil. Turn off the fire and add to the mass of grated or chopped garlic. Next, to obtain a homogeneous thick puree use blender. If the texture of the dish is dry, in the process of mixing, you can add more heated cream.

Lean soup - dietary version of the first dish. Adherents of a healthy diet, as well as those who are on a diet or fasting will be able to rate it.

Dietary first course contains only 63 calories per 100 grams of the finished dish. It is also rich in vegetable protein, perfectly nourishes and will greatly benefit the stomach.

To prepare four servings of the dish you will need:

1. 550 grams of green peas (you can take canned);
2. three medium sized potatoes:
3. one small carrot;
4. large onion;
5. 2-3 pieces of bay leaf;
6. greens, salt and black pepper to taste.

Peel potatoes and cut into cubes, put into boiling water. Finely crumble onions and carrots and pass them over low heat with the addition of half a tablespoon of any vegetable oil. When the vegetables are soft, add them to the water to the potatoes. Cook until half ready for about half an hour. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, we put bay leaf, peas into vegetable broth, add salt and other spices to taste. Add finely chopped fresh herbs to the finished dish.

“Merchant” chicken salad is delicious and satisfying, it will perfectly decorate the festive table, and on weekdays it can even become a full-fledged nutritional alternative to lunch or dinner.

It will take you about an hour to prepare 4 standard servings of salad.

Ingredients for dishes:

1. half chicken breast (boiled or smoked);
2. one can of green peas (about 200 grams, you can take fresh or canned);
3. one small carrot;
4. one large onion;
5. two or three tablespoons of mayonnaise;
6. a teaspoon of salt;
7. a teaspoon of sugar;
8. one tablespoon of vinegar;
9. tablespoon of vegetable oil;
10. leaf lettuce for decoration dishes.

We defrost raw chicken breast, boil in salted water for 20-30 minutes. Cut the finished meat into small pieces. In order to save time and to get a more piquant taste, you can take a ready smoked breast fillet, after clearing it from the skin.

Onions with my carrots and peel. Cut the onion into thin half-rings and keep for half an hour in the marinade of half a glass of water, a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of vinegar. In the meantime, rub carrots on a shredder to cook Korean carrots. Lightly fry it in sunflower oil.

Remove the peas from the pickle, and the onions from the marinade.

We mix all the ingredients of the dish: chicken, carrot, onion, pea. We salt to taste and we dress with mayonnaise, carefully mixing. Put the finished dish on a plate over lettuce leaves.

The pod variety is very good to use for cooking hot dishes, since after processing it becomes sweeter and more delicate in taste. This has long been noticed in India, China and even a number of Asian countries, where peas are included in the recipe of a number of dishes of national cuisine. So, in the Czech Republic and England, the peas are put in a casserole or a pie filling. In India, it is eaten slightly boiled over a fire with oil and mint dressing as a separate dish. Successful use of the product in the preparation of mousses, sauces, aspic. It is also good as an additive to the ingredients of an omelet, pasta or vegetable stew.

When boiling peas, they should be dipped in boiling water for about a minute. Peas will be ready when it becomes soft, but at the same time it must preserve the crunch of the pods on the breakage. After boiled vegetable water is drained, and the pods are washed with cold water. When cooking for a couple of time for heat treatment will need twice as much.

You can pass the vegetable in a pan with the addition of vegetable oil. It is best to do this on moderate heat, stirring continuously for two to three minutes. At the same time, as in the process of cooking, the pods should soften slightly, but not turn into soft fibers, retaining the crackle at the break. In general, with proper observance of the technology of cooking peas in the pods, most hot dishes are added one to two minutes until cooked.

Cod fillet with vegetables is an easy-to-prepare dish with an exquisite taste that even those who are not notable for their culinary skills can afford. It will take less than an hour to cook. The combination of fish with vegetables is an excellent complex of vitamins and minerals for beauty and health of the body.

To prepare two servings you will need:

1. 250-300 grams of cod fillets;
2. one sweet bell pepper (preferably red);
3. a dozen pea pods;
4. 80 grams of green peas;
5. several lettuce leaves;
6. 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
7. slice of lemon;
8. salt, ground black pepper and oregano to taste.

We wash the Bulgarian pepper, grease it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then wrap in baking foil and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.Preparing pepper at a temperature of 180-200 degrees. Remove the peppers from the oven, remove the stalk with seeds and grind well with a blender. It turned out the sauce to the dish.

At the pea pods, we tear off the solid remnants of the inflorescences and put them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then drain the water and rinse the pods with cold water to keep the vegetable crisp. Green grain peas pour boiling water, and then wash cold through a colander. In a deep salad bowl, mix both types of peas. Add coarsely chopped lettuce leaves, olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice. Salt and pepper the resulting salad preparation to taste.

Fry the cod fillet on both sides in a frying pan without a lid on a small amount of olive or any vegetable refined oil. It will take 7-10 minutes. At the end, we arrange the fish and vegetable mixture beautifully on the plates, decorate with oregano leaves (you can substitute mint).

When choosing peas one should be guided not only by the price and advertising of the manufacturer’s brand, but also by a number of characteristics. These include key parameters for selection, such as the appearance of the product in glass containers, the safety of containers, production time and shelf life, the manufacture of canned food according to specifications or in strict accordance with GOST.

The taste and quality of peas is largely due to its variety. For canning use two of its main types: cerebral and smooth peas. They differ in size, shape and color. Brain peas are medium in size and slightly elongated. Its sweetish taste is suitable for use in mashed potatoes or as a garnish ingredient.

Canned peas are made in iron or glass jars. It is preferable to purchase it in glass containers, as it will allow you to maximize the quality of the product. In a good jar there will be no cloudy sediment or fragments of pods. Peas are often harvested calibrated, about the same size, green from light to swamp shades (depending on the variety) without yellowness. Brine in the bank according to GOST can be no more than 25 percent.

When buying it is also important to carefully read the composition of canned food on the label. Best of all, if the product will contain only water, sugar and salt. This is possible with home canning. In the case of factory production, the most useful will be peas with a smaller amount of preservatives and food additives. In the production of canned food good producers use young fresh vegetable.

It is desirable that these were the summer months, optimally June and July. Young sweet peas are rolled up inside such a container with canned goods. In the event that canned food was produced in autumn or winter, then it is highly likely that dry steamed peas are harvested in them. Taste properties of this product will differ markedly from high-quality canned food. Valuable useful properties for the most part will also be lost due to repeated processing of peas.

Optimal will be the choice of cans marked GOST.Such preservation is made according to years of proven technology based on the best recipes. If the packaging is written TU, then canned food was prepared according to the specifications that each particular plant develops for itself. The quality of this product may be slightly lower.

The pickle in the jar can also be eaten, but few are aware of this. It is very useful and can serve as an additive when cooking first courses. You can drink it and just from the jar. This drink will help easier to move the morning after a holiday feast with alcohol. Experts in procurement and quality note that the small amount of sediment remaining at the bottom is not at all critical. It speaks not about the low quality of the product, but about the high content of starch in peas.

Now consumers have the opportunity to choose the peas of the first, higher or extra. Naturally, the price difference will be noticeable. Categories differ primarily in the final taste. The organoleptic composition or the percentage of nutrients in a vegetable does not depend on the size of peas or their color.

Dried peas are best kept in a linen bag in a dark, dry place. You can even leave it in the refrigerator: so the product will not be damaged by insects.

It is not difficult to grow fresh young peas in my plot. If this is not possible, then dozens of pickled or frozen vegetables are widely represented in the stores.

The beneficial properties of peas on the impact on the human body is difficult to overestimate.

This habitual product helps us to preserve youth and general health of the body. At the same time, a sweet vegetable has practically no harmful properties and no contraindications to consumption.

Wise ancestors have long noticed the versatility of a vegetable in the treatment of various diseases and used it as the main ingredient or one of the ingredients for solutions, ointments and medicines.

In what form to use it - fresh or processed, is a matter of personal taste preferences of each. It is important to comply with the golden rule of measure, and then a useful product will bring only pleasure.

See how to preserve green peas in the video below.