Say hello to my latest salad obsession, a hearty salad that's full of crunch and color. It looks like – tastes like – bites like – summer in a bowl! But it can be made any time of year, delivering the sense of summer all year long. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real" and just 1 Weight Watchers point!
~recipe updated 2015~
~ republished for a little weekend cooking inspiration 2015~
~more recently updated recipes~
BACK IN 2011 My friend Chris first brought this to a Mardi Gras shindig. All the food that night was extra fabulous but a few of us all kept going back for more black-eyed pea salad! A few days later, I made the salad myself, nixing the bacon entirely and cutting the oil by half. Again – SO good! Those extra calories weren't in the least bit missed.
And then I made it again – didn't I say this salad is my current obsession? – cutting the oil by three-quarters. Chris and her husband were back for another little gathering and all three of us went back for seconds! So good! So fresh! So flexible!
This is a great dish to carry to a potluck, a family dinner, a church supper. It would be a great dish to deliver to a family where people are gathering for a funeral or where someone's sick or ... to make a meal of, all by yourself, just yourself and a spoon. (Obsession, you say? Uh huh.) I hope you like this salad as much as I do!
COMPLIMENTS!
"... smitten by the results. Such a beautiful dish!" ~ Charlie
"... it was fabulous!" ~ Tina
"So yummy with fresh mint!" ~ Robyn
RECIPE for SUMMER BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD
Hands-on time: 20 minutes over about 60 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes but gets better if refrigerated to meld for a few hours
Makes 18 cups
SALAD
16 ounces frozen black-eyed peas, cooked according to package directions (see TIPS) but DO add salt to the water, even if the package doesn't say so
8 ounces frozen green peas, thawed (just leave them out while you're prepping it'll be enough)
4 green onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped on the diagonal
2 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh herbs - mint is great, so is rosemary
VINAIGRETTE
2 tablespoons olive oil (reduced from 8 tablespoons)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar (red works too but does stain the black-eyed peas a little)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (don't skip this!)
Mix the salad ingredients. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. Easy! Done!
ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
I found that the package directions slightly overcooked the black-eyed peas. So check them 10 or 15 minutes before done, you want the peas to be cooked but quite firm so they don't get mushy. Concept recipe? You bet. Other ideas for the salad include: cucumber, corn, avocado, kohlrabi. Go for crunch and a good color mix. Very pretty!
TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from Taste of Home, Black-Eyed Pea Salad
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: Calories 53; 2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 230mg Sodium; 7g Carb; 2g Fiber; 2g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 1 & WW PointsPlus 1
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MORE FAVORITE SUMMER SALAD RECIPES
~ Summer Lentils ~
~ Chipotle Chickpea Salad ~
~ ~
~ more ~
from A Veggie Venture
~ Favorite Summer Salad Recipes ~
~ Alice Waters Coleslaw ~
~ Bloody Mary Salad ~
~ Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle ~
~ more salad recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column
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