Mediterranean Black-Eyed Peas Salad is a simple, easy, delicious and healthy salad, made in minutes.Made with black-eyed beans, pomegranate arils, chopped vegetables, feta cheese and Mediterranean dressing, this salad will serve as a perfect lunch or a side.
If you are looking for something light and refreshing to go with your rich and heavy protein on a cold winter day, this salad is the answer!
You can skip the feta cheese , if you want to go vegan.
The Back Story
This year 2021, I have made a resolution to myself to try something new each week, I have never tried before…..well, this Mediterranean salad is one such experiment.
Black -eyed beans in an Indian curry, I was familiar with. Punjabi Lobia curry is something I make often to go with my roti’s/Chapatis in winter time. Black-eyed beans in a Mediterranean salad was a first for me!
Being a big believer in using up the lentils and dry beans in my pantry during our meal planning for the week, in winter time, this was a perfect fit. This practice during winter has saved me much in grocery shopping and crazy grocery trips in the snow.
So a win win both ways, healthy and smart!
So today, I prepared this Mediterranean Black -eyed bean salad to go with our Mangalorean Ghee Roast for lunch.
You can even try it with seafood recipes like our Mussel Meat Stir Fry or simple South Indian Fish Fry.
Looking for healthy and delicious salad recipes? Click here to learn more!
Ingredients required to make the Mediterranean Black-Eyed Peas salad
Black-eyed peas
You can use either canned or dry ones for this recipe. If like me, you prefer to soak your dry peas overnight and then cook them, so be it.Personally, I prefer it any day to canned ones, but sometimes if time is a constraint then go with the canned ones.
If you prefer cooking your black- eyed peas, then soak them overnight.Next drain them and place them along with fresh water (enough to cover them above 3-4 inches) and pressure cook them for one whistle.Allow to cool , drain and set aside to cool further before using them in the salad.
These savory nutrient rich beans pack a punch when it comes to their anti-oxidant level, protein and fiber content.
Fresh Veggies
The original recipe suggests to use English cucumber, green onions ( both green and white parts) and grape or cherry tomatoes.
I used Roma tomatoes, since I did not have grape or cherry tomatoes handy, and the salad still tasted great. Choose your pick!
Fresh Herbs
Fresh Mint adds such magic to this salad. Suddenly, I realize that most Mediterranean dishes have mint in them….is this their little secret?
Pomegranate Arils
Pomegranates always make me feel nostalgic.Growing up in South India, our neighbors had huge pomegranate trees in their garden and would always share the fruit with us.
Somehow the sight of our neighbor Uncle showing us kids how to tell if a pomegranate was ripe would always stick in my fond memories of childhood. To this day, I pick a pomegranate if I see one in the store during their peak season.Adding the pomegranate arils to my dishes, always makes childhood feel like yesterday.
Fresh juicy pomegranate arils, renders a sweet tangy taste to this salad.
Mediterranean Dressing
A combination of Olive oil ( yes, olives ought to be there, it’s a Mediterranean salad!), lime juice and Pomegranate molasses.
Having never tasted pomegranate molasses, I asked a colleague who was familiar with Mediterranean dishes, what it tasted like. She said, “it was intensely sweet and sour at the same time”.The way she described making homemade pomegranate molasses made me want to try it immediately.
For this recipe, I used the store bought one, however.
Seasoning the dressing with salt, pepper and garlic adds to the flavor.
Feta Cheese
You can skip adding this if you want to go vegan. The crumbly texture of feta cheese this recipe is however a great addition.
Mediterranean Black-Eyed Peas Salad Recipe
Mediterranean Black-Eyed Peas Salad|How to make
10
minutes10
minutesIngredients
2 cups 2 Black-eyed peas soaked and cooked
2 2 Tomatoes I used Roma Tomatoes
1 large 1 English Cucumber chopped
1 cup 1 Pomegranate Arils
3 3 -4 Green onions both green & white portion chopped
Feta cheese optional
- Dressing
2 tbsp 2 Pomegranate Molasses
2 tbsp 2 Lemon juice
4 tbsp 4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Clove minced
Salt as per your taste
Black pepper as per your taste
Directions
- Combine the cooked and cooled black -eyed peas, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, pomegranate arils, green onions and fresh mint together in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and black pepper and get the dressing ready to go.
- Next pour the dressing over the black-eyed peas salad.Mix well to combine.
- Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese over the prepared salad , if you like.
- Serve in salad bowls.
Notes
- You can substitute Pomegranate Molasses with balsamic reduction, if you don’t have it handy.
- The use of Feta Cheese is optional.If you are vegan , skip using the feta cheese.
- In this recipe, I used 2 Roma tomatoes, the original recipe called for 5-6 cherry tomatoes.I did not have cherry tomatoes handy.The taste was still great.
Essential Kitchen Tools for making the best Salad
While you are busy trying out new salad recipes in your kitchen this season, don’t forget to check out our blogpost on Essential Kitchen Tools for making the best salads.We have an amazing collection of kitchen tools for you to shop from, in our blogpost, that will make life easy for you, save time and help maintain a mess free kitchen.
Read all about it here or by clicking the image below.
The Bottom Line
Salads need not be just an item on the summer menu. you can use them wisely in your winter food choices too.They pair well and are a refreshing change after a heavy protein meal.
Try our Mediterranean Back-Eyed Peas Salad today and let us know how you like it, in the comments below.
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