Guacamole Made From PEAS???
 

Does anyone make guacamole out of peas? How is it? I am a guacamole freak and have always been curious if this is good. Here is a link to one recipe..... http://www.recipezaar.com/Sweet-Pea-Guacamole-119746

I have but one question ... WHY??????

:D

Why mess with something as perfect as guacamole by making it with peas. Don't get me wrong, I like peas. But ... um ... not as faux-guac.

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Cook's Illustrated has a light guacamole recipe. I haven't actually made it, but would like to try it some time, just to see. They said that peas "had an overwhelming earthy flavor and unwanted sweetness." They settled on 1c frozen lima beans to 1 avocado. They said "Tasters were astonished by the lima beans, and how much they complemented the avocado in taste and texture. Boiling the lima beans muted their distinct beany flavor." But as I said, I haven't tried it yet.

:dunno: Could it possibly be the lower calorie count?

Oh, but avocados are sooooo good for you!! They are just loaded with good stuff. In one medium avocado you will get: potassium (1097mg), magnesium (70mg), and good, "healthy" fat. Just as an additional fyi potassium functions to regulate protein synthesis, regulate glucose storage and use, and some other things that I am sure no one is too concerned with on this thread.:lol: And just so that magnesium doesn't feel left out here are a few things that magnesium is for: skeletal muscle contraction, carbohydrate metabolism, B-complex vitamin activation, and (again) a bunch of other complex stuff that we couldn't live without.
I love peas, too, but I think there is no better way to get our vitamins and minerals than the way God intended - through food. Personally, if it weren't for guacamole I wouldn't be super interested in avocado. I do eat avocado sliced up on salad, but I love guacamole as a topper on tacos and fajitas. YUM!

Personally, I couldn't imagine tampering with guacamole just to save a few calories. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods on Earth and (in my humble opinion) are worth every calorie. I treat guacamole the way I treat cheese --I eat the real thing, but am careful to limit my portions.

How about half fake ingredient half avocado ?

:yes::yes::yes:

Yes, I agree. Guacamole is not something to be messed with. Though I would certainly be "open" to trying a different dip, perhaps the pea one. But not *in place* of guacamole. Cause' there can be no replacing guacamole. ;)

Exactly! I have no problem with the concept of a sweet pea dip - sounds kinda intereseting. But it ain't no guacamole ... that's for sure!! :)

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Yes, well, therein lies the problem. I am a guacaholic! I could eat the whole bowl!!!

I am going to try it and then I will let everyone know how it is.

When I first started on my journey there were MANY things that I had no control over. Those things, I decided to elminate, temporarily, until I had gained control. I knew (hoped) eventually I would be able to add them back in and eat a small portion of it. But I saw no sense in torturing myself. So therefore I said, "see ya later" to a bunch of things. That was *my* way of setting myself up for success. I did look for alternatives though. I hope this works out for you. But do watch it. Peas are on the caloric side as well.

Ok, I got curious, so I put the recipe into Mastercook and came up with this (based on the info that the recipe makes 4 servings):

Sweet Pea "Guacamole"
1 serving = approx 175g
Calories 123
Total Fat 0.4g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 104mg
Total Carbohydrates 23.2g
Dietary Fiber 8.3g
Sugars 7.9g
Protein 7.6g
Vitamin A 61% • Vitamin C 29%
Calcium 4% • Iron 12%


Then I took the same recipe and substituted 2 large avocados for the 20 oz of peas.

Avocado Guacamole
1 serving = approx 165g
Calories 170
Total Fat 14.8g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 10mg
Total Carbohydrates 12.8g
Dietary Fiber 7.4g
Sugars 2.1g
Protein 2.6g
Vitamin A 6% • Vitamin C 27%
Calcium 3% • Iron 4%

For me, the calories saved in eating the pea version vs. the amount of healthy fat I'd get from the avocado version isn't enough to make it worthwhile for me. Avocados are one of my big sources of healthy fats - I eat them on sandwiches all the time for a little added nutritional bang.

Just something to think about when looking at substitute recipes. :) Are the calorie savings REALLY worth the food swap?

OTOH, I'm thinking that a dip made with sweet peas and some other seasonings might be pretty yummy for veggies or a sandwich spread and it's something I think I might investigate, since I have a bag of frozen peas in my freezer right now! :)

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Hmmm - if I remember correctly, the Cooking Light version (1/2 limas, 1/2 avo) required removal of the lima bean skins - sounded too tedious for me!:rolleyes:

Guacamole is truly one of the "sacred" foods - I can't mess with it! Just have to eat it with reverence:cloud9: and not too many chips ( sliced, salted cucumbers work quite well delivering that green velvety yum!).

I don't remember that, but I'll check tonight. Just for reference, though, I'm talking about a recipe from Cook's Illustrated "The Best Light Recipe" (a book), not from Cooking Light (an unrelated magazine from a different company, AFAIK).

Well, both peas and avocado are highly nutritious. So making a dip out of either would be ok with me. I've not ever heard of pea guac, but the recipe (yay recipezaar) looks like something i'd try simply cuz it is all whole ingredients. not sure what it would taste like, actually i would think that peas would taste better with something more savory as a flavor, and not tangy like lemon juice...

I personally don't worry about the fat in avocado because it is good fats and typically the kind of fats we are lacking in the typical american diet. I've been eating avocado salad like mad lately now that they are so abundant. the nice thing is i dont' even need a dressing b/c they are so rich and flavorful.
I bought one of the 'Slimcados' in the store and tried it this morning. i'ts about 2x the size of a normal avocado. But it suppossedly has 1/3 the fat of normal avocado? this i couldn't understand b/c the fat in avocado isn't the kind that most folks need to reduce. But i was curious. The taste wasn't bad, but i think i like normal avocados better.