Weekend! Salad-a-Day #10

Black-Eye Pea Salad

Today was a lovely day in the North Houston area.  It rained late yesterday!  We needed it badly.  Even though today was pretty hot and steamy, it was fabulous.  Being a Saturday, and having my husband home, helped :)

 

Several years ago - like maybe 18 years ago... Doesn't it make you feel old when you can remember something as far back as decades?  Like more than one decade, at that?   Anyway, 18 years ago or so, my husband and I were in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  It is a LOVELY place, it is hilly there, and a little hippy-ish (just perfect)....  We stayed at a fabulous bed and breakfast that is now out of business, but we loved it there and went more than once.  While walking around the downtown area, we came upon a great burger place.  Instead of the usual french fries with a burger, this little funky place served a marinated bean salad.  That was before the days of digital cameras, and for sure before cell-phone pictures, so I have forgotten the name of the burger joint.  I have attempted to recreate it ever since.  I have made many delicous attempts in the years since. 

 

Yesterday I made this little happy salad that reminds us of that happy trip many years ago.

Marinated Black-Eye Pea Salad

Black-eye peas, yellow and orange bell pepper, green onions and fresh herbs

It was SO good!  I had this salad with crackers and cheese for lunch yesterday :)

 

Marinated Black-Eye Pea Salad

2 cans black-eye peas dranied and rinsed

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced (to about the size of the peas)

1/2 orange bell pepper, diced (to about the size of the peas)

2 green onions, chopped (to about the size of the peas)

1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme

1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

1 tablepsoon fresh chopped parsley

dressing

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons basalmic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Put first 8 ingredients in bowl.  Mix dressing ingredients and pour over pea mixture.  Chill until ready to serve (tastes better chilled and allows flavors to get aquainted).

This is a very forgiving salad - put what ever beans (or peas) and veggies you like.  The dressing is the key to bringing it all together.  If you make a bigger bean salad with several kinds of beans, just double the dressing recipe to coat the beans.

 

Saturday Gardening

Digging potatoes!!  The sweet squirrels that live in our yard are after my potatoes... Yes, they dig up potatoes.  So, I thought I would dig a few today to make sure we get to enjoy some, too.

I picked green beans and a couple of squash and dug these lovely potatoes today.

I am going to see what kind of salad I can come up with from these fresh veggies in the next day or so!

 

Until tomorrow,

~ Joeby