Monday, March 7, 2011

Black eyed pea salad


Until January 1, 2011 I do not believe I had ever actually eaten a black eyed pea-I certainly loved their music though-but I must confess I did not think I'd like them-I judged them because I did not know how to prepare them, they were foreign to me.  I should have known better.  I loved the salad I made on New Year's Day this year but had not gotten around to making more, until tonight.

Cilantro and avocado black eyed pea salad
a Krista kitchen creation

2 cups cooked black eyed peas (I used my pressure cooker and allowed dry beans to cook at full pressure for 10 minutes, after that I removed it from the heat and allowed it to sit another five before releasing the pressure)
3/4 avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup light oil
sea salt to taste.

Cook the beans and set aside until ready to use.  Place the diced vegetables and herbs in a medium bowl, add the cooked and drained black eyed peas, coat with oil and vinegar, season with salt to taste.

I love how filling the salad is, yet light at the same time.  I served this with a cabbage and sugar pea slaw, steamed asparagus and crispy tofu-the boys had chicken sausages.  I think we will definitely be experimenting with more flavor combinations to compliment this very nutritious bean.

2 comments:

  1. YAY! A POST!!
    What if someone didn't have a pressure cooker? Is is like soaking black beans before cooking them?

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  2. You can cook them in a pot on the stove, I believe it'd be about 40-45 minutes that way or you could go with canned, cooked, black eyed peas-just watch the sodium content on the canned stuff. I like using dry beans because I know exactly what's in them and also because it's cheaper, I get them in the bulk bin to make them even cheaper!

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