Happy Sunday! If you’re anything like me, you’re ecstatic that it’s starting to feel like fall. Leaves are changing, Halloween movies are about to be on TV, and it just smells different outside. It’s also football season! I am not necessarily a sports girl…I tend to get really distracted. I never end up watching the end of the game because I’m off doing other things. I do, however, love the food. So many dips, chips, and sweets! (Oh my!) Dips tend to be one of my favorite things. You can create lots of different flavors depending on what you use to dip, and that always appealed to me.
I like guacamole, but I definitely enjoy avocado on a small scale more than a large scale. Revamping it with PEAS (!) turned out to be an amazing idea. It’s a bit sweeter than normal guacamole, but it is incredible with salty chips.
This recipe has raw garlic blended into the peas (which is wonderful). Raw garlic, however, is especially pungent, and you might not want that around a room full of people during the game. What causes that garlicky smell, you ask? Well, allyl methyl sulfide is a compound in garlic that is absorbed into the blood after eating the garlic. Sulfur is notorious for being very smelly. Once it is absorbed into the blood, it moves into the lungs followed by the mouth. From your mouth, it’s only a matter of time until you breathe out. Allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) also causes you to exude garlic through your sweat for days after consumption because in addition to moving to the lungs, AMS also moves through the pores in your skin.
Garlic breath is a small sacrifice to make for this incredible dip. If you’re really worried about it, BBC claims that drinking milk while consuming the garlic can prevent most of the smelly side effects. Believe me though; you won’t want to take a break to drink milk while you’re eating this amazing dip.
Pea Guacamole
Adapted from Tori Avey
½ pound frozen green peas (thawed) or fresh shelled peas (lightly steamed and cooled)
1-2 cloves garlic (depending on how garlicky you like it)
½-1 jalapeño pepper, seeded
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoon lime or lemon juice
2 leaves fresh mint
½ teaspoon lime or lemon zest, if desired
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. Serve with salty tortilla chips or something sweeter like honey wheat pretzels for a different flavor profile.
