As I said in my earlier post, peas are not one of my favorite foods. However, I joined a CSA with the intention of trying things I normally wouldn’t eat, peas included. When I got some cream peas, my goal was to find a way to fix them that would disguise their flavor. I was inspired by a recipe from Bon Appetit for Black Eyed Pea Hot Dip. Here is my version below – I think it turned out great! I would imagine that this dip would go well with almost any type of pea or bean.
Hot Creamed Pea Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 & 1/2 cups cream peas (or other peas)
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened (I used veggie cream cheese)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chipolte chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar
- Pulse the peas and garlic in a food processor until smooth.
- Add the spices and cream cheese, process to blend.
- Stir in the salsa (I also added some finely chopped banana peppers at this point).
- Pour mixture into a 8” square casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly, 20-25 minutes.
This makes a very tasty dip that isn’t too unhealthy. Adjust the chili/cayenne to suit your tastes. I also used the dip as a quesadilla filling, along with some fresh spinach – it worked great! The creamy dip went along wonderfully with the crisp tortilla shell. I’m thinking you could add any number of vegetables when making a quesadilla out of it: bell peppers, sautéed onions, mushrooms – the only limit is your imagination!
Frugally Green Mom 