Need More Flavor & Nutrition? Frozen Peas to the Rescue

Frozen peas add flavor, nutrition and color to many dishes.

Spring is here and we'll have a parade of fresh vegetables to cook with over the next six months. Yet, despite that, I'll make sure to always have a bag of frozen peas in my freezer.

Even when you seemingly have nothing to cook with, frozen peas can easily come to the rescue and add flavor, nutrition and color to a variety of dishes. The best part? In certain situations, the frozen peas don't need to be thawed.

Last night's tomato sauce of strained tomatoes, onion, garlic, a chopped sausage and some parsley needed something else, so I threw in a heaping handful of frozen peas at the end of the cooking process. The residual heat was enough to thaw and warm the peas.

More ideas: Combine thawed frozen peas with any cooked grain or pasta for a quick grain or pasta salad. Add frozen peas to scrambled eggs. Add frozen peas to a chicken soup. Add frozen peas to your smoothie.