The Baby Pantry: Peas

Peas On Earth, Good Will Toward Man

I always took this tiny green orb for granted, thinking of it in terms of novelty more than nutrition - a cute little dash of color swimming through the gravy of a chicken pot pie, a crunchy snack with each little wrinkle full of snow-white wasabi, a bowl of bright green pebbles at the salad bar that I'd always consider but never actually spoon over my lettuce.

It wasn't until I was deciding what vegetables I'd first like to introduce to my daughter that I actually gave the pea a little more consideration, and what I learned was pretty impressive.  So much so that the first vegetable I ever pureed for my daughter, and the first solid she received after mastering rice cereal, was the not-so-simple pea.

I purchased a bag of organic frozen peas and quickly boiled them, then pureed them with a little of the cooking water.  Lovingly, I ran them through a strainer to weed out the tough skins and I marveled at the smooth, beautiful bright green paste that remained.  The smell was sweet and earthy, the taste was fresh and sunny.  It had been a long time since I tasted the pure flavor of a pea, unencumbered by butter and salt, molested not by gravy or sauce, and it was marvelous.  Peas, indeed, are underrated.

While she eats peas happily now, Evelyn did not agree with me at the time and she grimaced as the first spoonful settled on her tongue.  Choking it down, she tentatively opened her mouth for a second bite, and then proceeded to cry when she received it.  I really should have considered the flavor when making my decision for a first vegetable.  We moved on to summer squash.

The Mighty Pea

Though your infant may not like peas initially, especially if he's given commercial peas which are overcooked and taste like tin and disappointment, don't discount them yet.  Your baby will learn to either like them or at least tolerate them over time as more flavors are introduced and his palette becomes more refined, and it will be well worth it for the nutritional value.

In two tablespoons of peas alone, your infant receives more than 100% the daily recommended intake of Vitamins A & K, a quarter of the recommended intake for folate, and roughly 20% of the recommended intake for magnesium and phosphorus, as well as providing some Vitamin C, iron and potassium.  Throw in a little dietary fiber, and who knew that little unassuming pea was so healthy?  

Keep Them Around

The next best thing to fresh is frozen when it comes to vegetables.  Sometimes, frozen is even better than fresh when you consider how long it may take to transport fresh vegetables to your grocery store, a trip in which they can quickly lose many important nutrients.  I would suggest getting fresh peas when you can, but always keep a few bags of frozen peas in the freezer - they cook up quick and can be added to nearly anything.

Don't use canned peas.  In fact, pretend that you don't know what a can is when it comes to vegetables.  Not only is the flavor bland and tinny, but there is hardly any nutrition to be had in overcooked canned vegetables.

Ideas, or "Ipeas"

Peas make a great single-ingredient puree for younger infants.  Simply boil or steam fresh or frozen peas until tender, then puree in a blender.  Press through a strainer to remove the skins, which are too tough and chunky for the gummier variety of baby to eat.  Use the puree by itself, mix with a favorite infant cereal, or add to other vegetables or meat.  There is a lot that can be done with a simple puree.  If you make too much, freeze it - you can always plop a cube or two into your soup for some added vegetable nutrition.

As your infant gets older, and gets some teeth, peas can be cooked and diced/mashed with a fork and added to nearly anything.  Mix them into mashed potatoes, serve them with noodles and a little Parmesan cheese, or simply add to them to a mixed vegetable side along with a grain and a protein.

Let's face it - peas have difficulty being the star of a dish, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible.  I am loathe to give a recipe including actual measurements, as that simply isn't how I cook (I'm a "taste as you go and it'll be great" kind of cook), but I can offer up for your experimentation a twist on the traditional pesto:

Green Pea Pesto

Simply add Parmesan cheese, garlic, a little lemon juice, a little basil and a tiny bit of pepper to cooked peas in a ratio that tastes good to you but that wouldn't be too strong for your little one and blend it together with a little drizzle of oil.  These ingredients are best saved for older babies, a year of age or more.  Remember to taste it as you go with a clean spoon to make sure the flavors aren't too strong - what might be sort of bland to you won't be to your baby.  Serve this with small pasta shapes, diced whole-wheat spaghetti or brown rice for a tasty baby dinner, or smear onto some whole-wheat toast with some cheese melted on top for older children.