Recipes: Crushed Peas With Burrata and Black Olives; Green Pea Guacamole; Couscous With Peas and Mint; Hearty Baked Brown Rice; and Pea Soup With Crispy Pancetta and Bread

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: "I am not the kind of person who insists on shelling in-season, farmers market peas," writes Alison Roman in "Nothing Fancy." She approves of frozen peas. Roman calls for English peas for this recipe but any small pea variety will do. Burrata is a soft cheese made of mozzarella and cream.

• 1/4 c. oil-cured black olives or Castelvetrano olives, pitted

• 1/3 c. olive oil

• 2 c. frozen peas, thawed, divided

• 2 tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 c. loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn

• 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives

• 1/2 c. freshly chopped parsley, tender leaves and stems

• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste

• 2 balls burrata cheese, drained (see Note)

In a small bowl, combine olives and olive oil, and reserve.

Place 1 cup of the peas in a medium bowl. Using your hands (or, if you're more refined and/or you own one, a potato masher), crush the peas. You're looking for crushed, not a purée, so don't bother using a food processor. Add the remaining 1 cup peas and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In another medium bowl, toss the greens, mint, chives, parsley and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper and a bit more lemon juice if you like.

Tear the burrata into pieces and arrange on a large serving platter or in a shallow bowl (you can also cut the burrata, but tearing it is much easier). Scatter the pea mixture on and around the burrata and top with the olive mixture, followed by the greens-mint mixture.

Nutrition information per each of 6 servings:

Fat15 g

Sodium100 mg

Carbohydrates9 g

Saturated fat3 g

Added sugars0 g

Cholesterol6 mg

Dietary fiber3 g

Exchanges per serving: 2 vegetable, 3 fat.

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: From "The Side Dish Bible," by America's Test Kitchen.

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 c. vegetable broth

• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice, rinsed

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed

• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

• 1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm vegetable oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups water and broth, cover, and bring to a boil.

Fluff rice with a fork and stir in peas. Replace lid and let rice sit for 5 minutes. Stir in mint and lemon zest, sprinkle with feta and serve.

Nutrition information per each of 6 servings:

Calories270

Fat7 g

Sodium670 mg

Saturated fat2 g

Added sugars0 g

Protein7 g

Cholesterol11 mg

Dietary fiber4 g

Serves 8.

Note: To toast pine nuts, warm in a dry saucepan on low heat, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. From "Barefoot Contessa Foolproof," by Ina Garten.

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter

• 1/2 c. chopped shallots (2 large shallots)

• 2 c. uncooked couscous

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 12 oz. frozen peas, thawed

• 1/2 c. loosely packed julienne fresh mint leaves

• 1/3 c. toasted pine nuts

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the shallots and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Stir in the couscous, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and place lid on the pot. Remove from heat and allow the couscous to steam for 10 minutes. With a fork, fluff the couscous and stir in the peas, mint and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories290

Fat9 g

Carbohydrates42 g

Saturated fat2 g

Added sugars0 g

Protein9 g

Cholesterol6 mg

Exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 1 fat.

Makes about 3 cups.

Note: From "Forks Over Knives Family," by Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman. Serve with tortilla chips or with tacos, tostadas, burritos or quesadillas.

• 2 c. frozen peas

• 1 wedge from a medium onion (about 1-in. wide), chopped

• 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

• 1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed (about 3/4 c.)

• 1 medium tomato, cut into 1/4-in. dice (about 1 c.)

• 2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced (about 1/2 c.)

• 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the peas and cook until softened but not falling apart, about 5 minutes. Drain and run the peas under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Transfer the peas to a food processor. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño and blend until smooth, adding a small amount of water as necessary to keep the mixture moving.

Transfer pea mixture to a medium bowl. Add mashed avocado, tomato, green onion, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover bowl and refrigerate until cold. Serve chilled.

Calories50

Fat2 g

Sodium20 mg

Carbohydrates6 g

Saturated fat0 g

Protein2 g

Cholesterol0 mg

Dietary fiber2 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, ½ fat.

Serves 4 to 6.

• 1/2 loaf stale white bread

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large handful of fresh mint, leaves stripped, divided

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 12 thin slices pancetta or bacon

• 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and coarsely chopped

• 16 oz. frozen peas

• 4 c. chicken broth

• 7 tbsp. heavy cream

• 4 tsp. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove crust from the bread and pinch off irregular dice-size pieces. Put these in a roasting pan and drizzle with a little olive oil, scatter about half the mint leaves (reserving the remaining leaves) and season with salt and pepper. Chop the pancetta (or bacon), add it to the roasting pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until the bread and pancetta are crusty and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven.

Meanwhile, in a medium to large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add green onions and remaining mint leaves and cook until onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add frozen peas and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add cream and gently simmer for 15 minutes.

Using a blender, purée the soup until it's very smooth (you may want to do this in batches). Adjust the seasoning very carefully to taste — really think about this and get it just right. Remember: add, taste, add, taste. By this time, the bread and pancetta should be nice and crisp. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the bread, mint and pancetta. Garnish with a little sour cream and serve.

Nutrition information per serving:

CarbohydratesXXX gSaturated fatXX gAdded sugarsXX g

ProteinXX gCholesterolXX mgDietary fiberXX g

Exchanges per serving: xx milk, xx vegetable, xx fruit, xx starch, xx carb, xx lean protein, xx medium-fat protein, xx high-fat protein, xx fat.