Spicy Black Eye Pea Salad

Here in the south we like to eat a "mess" of beans from time to time.  That's
the way the old timers say it. Since today's my Nana's birthday and I often
heard her say she was going to pick and cook a "mess" of beans, I thought
I would post this recipe in her memory.  You can read more about her here.
She was an amazing woman and I miss her.

In January it's a tradition to have black eye peas, especially on New Year's
Day, when it's supposed to bring good luck for the year ahead.  We followed
tradition with our black eye peas and collard greens (another traditional
food) on the first and it was a delicious meal.  Simple and earthy, it's country
food at it's finest.  But, I think black eye peas should be enjoyed year round
and I'm doing my part.  I should have lots of good luck this year!

I've been making this salad regularly and I'm not getting tired of it yet!
It's healthy, so I feel good about eating it and it's helping me with my goal
to incorporate more beans into my diet.  You can read more about that here.
The recipe calls for canned peas, but I've been cooking my own.  The most
annoying thing about cooking dried beans is remembering to soak them
ahead of time.  You can do a quick soak method using boiling water and
let them sit for about an hour if you forget to put them in to soak the night
before. I've done that plenty of times.  Dry beans are very inexpensive and
I think they taste better than canned beans.  They are also great to have in
your food storage (you do have your food storage, right?).

I've been soaking a big bowl of peas overnight and then the next day, after
rinsing, I put part of them in the freezer and cook the rest for the salad.  It's
nice to pull the presoaked beans out of the freezer at a later date and cook
without  having to take the time to soak them first.

 So here's how to make this yummy salad.  Start by chopping fresh
green pepper and red pepper, red onions and a jalapeno pepper.  I  seed
and cut out most of the membrane from the jalapeno.  If you're not an
onion and pepper fan, this salad is not for you.

Put chopped vegetables in a bowl with drained peas.  Add crushed garlic.

Mix up the dressing from these ingredients.  This is what makes the salad.

Whisk the dressing together and add to bowl with peas and veggies.

Stir everything together and add chunks of fresh avocado.  Stir gently.

The lemon juice in the dressing keeps the avocado from turning brown.

The salad is best when it sits in the fridge for a few hours, but I always have

to eat some immediately upon adding that avocado.  It's so good.  I love

the fresh crunch of the veggies and the spicy dressing.  It is spicy.  But not

too spicy.  One warning - you will need breath mints the rest of the day.

Cook a "mess" of beans today and enjoy!

Spicy Black Eye Pea Salad

1 can black eye peas, rinsed and drained

1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped

     * use a mix of red and green for best taste

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 avocado, cubed

1/4 cup olive oil

3 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. San-J Szechuan sauce

2 t. sugar or stevia equivalent

2 T. lemon juice

Whisk together the last five ingredients.  Pour over beans and veggies. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.