Delicious and healthy black-eyed pea salad.

This is my culinary obsession- the infamous Black-Eyed Pea Salad! I never, ever tire of eating what is often referred to as the “poor man’s caviar”.

Besides being damn delicious, black-eyed peas are a great source of potassium, iron, zinc and… calcium!  It’s also a low calorie food, rich in protein and soluble fiber. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too- a recipe that is incredibly delicious and actually healthy for you. We’re all winners here!

And I have tirelessly slaved over, tweaked and experimented with this one dish so much that I finally worked out the math and fundamentals to share it with you all- that’s how dedicated I am.

Let me know if you feel the same way- leave a comment!  I would love to know how you found this recipe, including any tweaking you may have done.

Yield: 3-4 servings
Vegan, Gluten Free
Music Pairing: The Band “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight in a covered bowl
• 4 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon good quality dijon mustard (not yellow)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, approx. 1 lime (save the skins for the lime zest!)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 green onions (scallions), minced
• 1 tablespoon lime zest, approx. 1 lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• 1/2 cup half- dried tomatoes, chopped*

* Half-dried tomatoes, personally, are more flavorful and have a better texture for this salad. They usually come packed in oil. To avoid oil overkill, drain off the excess oil and subtract 1 tablespoon of olive oil from the recipe. But if you can’t find them half-dried, then sun-dried will work just fine.

Procedure:

1. Drain the soaked beans and rinse them under cold water and drain well.
2. In a heavy bottom pot with a lid, bring the 4 cups of water to a boil and then add the beans and bay leaf. Reduce the heat and continue to cook the beans covered, at a gentle simmer just until tender, but not overcooked. Once beans are cooked, drain well, remove the bay leaf and then add them to a large bowl. Place beans to the side.
3. Whisk together the mustard, lime juice, vinegar, Tabasco, sugar, sea salt and olive oil. Pour mixture over the warm beans.
4. Once beans have cooled, add the garlic, green onions, lime zest, cilantro and half-dried tomatoes. Gently toss mixture with a spatula until well combined.
5. Enjoy!

Helpful Tips

• It’s not necessary to soak black-eyed peas overnight.  But… I do it anyway!  Soaking your beans is a great way to reduce cooking time. Soaking also reduces tannins and phytic acid, and allows your beans to cook more evenly.  Because the hulls can be tender, black eyed peas should be cooked on a gentle simmer to prevent the bean from disintegrating.
• Try to avoid overcooking your peas. You want them tender while they keep their form. Boil them at a slow simmer, stirring every once in a while. You can do a test for doneness by removing a bean from the pot and squeezing it between your fingers- once it’s cooled off, of course!
• If cilantro isn’t your thang, then substitute 1/4 cup of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley instead.
• This salad tastes even better the next day! For that party in your mouth flavor, allow the salad to sit overnight and covered in your fridge to develop it’s flavor.