agrajuned: Kalyn's Kitchen: Recipe for Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Peppers ...

There are a lot of salad recipes on the blog, and only a few of them become my personal favorites that get repeated over and over for parties and other get-togethers, but this Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Peppers, Cilantro, and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette went right to the top of that list!? When I made this with Jake, the only thing we would have changed was to double the recipe so we had more leftovers.? We used more red pepper than green, but even if you're not that much of a green pepper fan, this is one recipe where I thought using both kinds of peppers really gave it great flavor, and the Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette finished this off perfectly.

On the advice of Moosewood, we used frozen black-eyed peas, which we cooked with some big garlic cloves for extra flavor.? (Jake and I were both surprised that the frozen black-eyed peas had to be cooked, but we loved how they turned out.)

When the peas are tender (20-30 minutes) drain them well.

Finely chop one large red bell pepper and half of a large green bell pepper.? (Or if you want to throw in the whole green pepper, be my guest!)

We also used 1/2 cup each of sliced green onions and coarsely chopped cilantro.

Stir together the lime juice, Spike Seasoning, ground cumin, chile powder, and a little salt and pepper, and then whisk in the olive oil to make the dressing.

Mix about 2/3 of the dressing into the drained black-eyed peas, stirring well so all the peas are coated with dressing.

Then gently stir in the other ingredients and add the rest of the dressing to taste.? (If you like your salads on the dry side, you might not need all the dressing.? (Try not to take photos with? a chunk of red pepper on the edge of the bowl, if you can avoid it!)? The salad is best when marinated in the fridge for a little while before serving, but we couldn't wait and gobbled up these two servings right away.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Peppers, Cilantro, and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette
(Makes 4-6 servings; recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates.)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (12 oz) frozen black-eyed peas
6 large garlic cloves
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, finely chopped (or use the whole pepper if you prefer)
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or more)

Dressing Ingredients:
3 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use another multi-purpose seasoning blend)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. Ancho chile powder (or regular chile powder if you don't have Ancho)
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Instructions:

Bring a couple cups of lightly salted water to a boil, add about 6 large garlic cloves and the frozen black-eyed peas, and simmer until the peas are tender, about 20-30 minutes.? Drain the peas into a colander placed in the sink and let them drain well.

While the peas cook, chop the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and cilantro, and thinly slice the green onions.? Stir together the lime juice, Spike Seasoning, ground cumin, chile powder, and a little salt and pepper, and then whisk in the olive oil to make the dressing.

When the peas are well-drained (blot dry with paper towels if you're in a hurry) put them in a bowl and add about 2/3 of the dressing, stirring until all the black-eyed peas are coated with dressing.? Add the other ingredients and mix gently to combine, then add more dressing as desired.? (If you like your salads on the dry side, you may not need all the dressing.)? Let salad chill in the fridge about 30 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long!)

This salad will keep in the fridge for several days, so I would recommend doubling the recipe and taking it to work for an easy lunch.

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South Beach Suggestions:
Beans and legumes are a limited food for Phase One of the? South Beach Diet, so one of the things I changed about the recipe was to use more low-glycemic peppers in proportion to the amount of black-eyed peas so you could have a larger serving for Phase One.? Keeping portion control in mind, this recipe would be approved for all phases.?
Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. (Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
More Meatless Ideas with Black-Eyed Peas
Vegetarian Chili with Black-Eyed Peas from Saffron Trail
Indian Spiced Black-Eyed Peas with Tomato and Curry Leaves from Kalyn's Kitchen
Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad from A Veggie Venture
Black-Eyed Pea Hummus with Olive Oil and Sumac from Kalyn's Kitchen
African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter, Black-Eyed Peas and Beans from Gluten-Free Goddess
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

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