ArchetypeMe: Three-Pea Pasta Salad

When talking about food and cooking, we typically think of how it tastes. However, this three-pea pasta salad is as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the palate. This dish from our friends at ArchetypeMe and Cricket Azima is simply sweet and gorgeous green! Treat your family to a bright and refreshing pasta salad for those warm summer nights or weekend picnics. Although the stars of the dish are small in size, each pea variety is bursting with crisp, fresh flavor.

What Matters to Mom?

Protein Power-Up:

Toss in a can of tuna or a pound of shredded cooked chicken breast not add protein.

ADULT-ERATE IT:

Spice up this pasta salad by adding red pepper flakes, to taste.

IN A PINCH:

If Meyer lemon-infused olive oil is not within reach, traditional olive oil and lemon juice make a perfectly pleasing substitution.

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound small cut pasta, cooked (i.e. small shells or orzo, but fettuccine and other shapes work, too)

1 pound frozen peas, defrosted

8 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh snap peas, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

8 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh snow peas, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup Meyer lemon-infused olive oil or 1/4 cup olive oil plus the juice of two lemons

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine pasta, peas, snap peas, snow peas, and mint.

2. Add Meyer lemon olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Stir well to combine and serve.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.