Zesty Black-Eyed-Pea Salad
I’m all about taking inspiration from Southern ingredients and trying to find different ways to use them. I just feel like there are a lot of awesome foods that get overlooked for everyday cooking! And black-eyed-peas are definitely one of them.
These babies are good for more than just New Year’s dinner! To me, they’re the perfect balance of creaminess and firmness. Perfect for chili, tacos, burrito bowls, and SALADS!
Even though it’s not spring yet, I’ve been trying to keep an element of warm weather “fun” in our food. Cold salads along with your meal are a great way to forget about winter. Frozen sweet corn is another way! I know that frozen vegetables are usually not people’s favorite, but gently cooked organic frozen corn is really just as delicious as fresh summer corn is. It works perfectly in this salad along with red bell peppers and a light vinaigrette.
- 2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 3 T. olive oil
- 1 t. salt
- 2 T. lime juice
- 1/2 t. sugar
- 1/4 t. pepper
- 2 c. cooked black-eyed-peas
- 2/3 c. corn (cooked frozen corn works great)
- 1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
- 1 t. fresh cilantro, chopped (or more to taste)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, lime juice, sugar, salt, and pepper to make the dressing.
- In a large bowl, toss together the beans, corn, bell pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Add in the chopped cilantro and toss lightly to combine. Try a fork-full and add more salt, pepper, or cilantro to taste.
- Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For those of you fellow health nuts out there, here are some extra reasons to give black-eyed-peas a chance:
- Lower in calories than any other conventional bean (200 calories/cup)
- Higher in folate than any other conventional bean (358mcg/cup)
- Great source of plant protein just like other beans (14g protein/cup)
Not too shabby at all. I plan to make them a regular part of our diet!
I actually made and photographed this recipe a few weeks ago when my studying was still fairly calm. I’m VERY glad I planned ahead because I certainly don’t have time for those things now! The bar exam is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, guys. I’m feeling good about it, but definitely need to stay in the zone these next several days. Thanks for understanding and I’ll see you guys after the test! I can’t WAIT to get back to regular blogging and catch you up on what’s been happening in our lives.
-Lauren