Savory Black Eyed Pea Quinoa

Gluten Free/Grain Free/Vegan

I grew up in the South with a momma that can THROW DOWN some southern cooking! One of the staples in our house growing up was black eyed peas!

Man, I love them. I love all field peas. I love all beans. So does the Prince. Give us a mess of field peas and rice and we are happy and trust me our bellies with me stuffed. (HA! I just type " a mess of field peas."

King Dad can not tell one field pea from another, and I giggle every time I ask him which type of bean we are having for dinner. Gotta love my city boy!

Ok, back to the recipe. I have previously mentioned we have a love, probably an unnatural one, for rice, but we also avoid grains. So, I try to make delicious substitution for rice and this dish was a SUCCESS!

Oh, Did I mention that the Prince has a ROCKSTAR Nana that grows veggies, cans them and send them to us? OH. HAPPY. DAY., when we receive a box full of field peas!!

Now, go shell some peas! Or just grab some from the supermarket and make this dish.

What you need:

Quinoa:

Approx. 3 cup cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked)

1 can black eyed peas, organic, drained, rinsed, with a pinch of salt mixed into peas or 1 and 1/2 cup freshly cooked peas

1 cup grape tomatoes, organic, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, organic, diced

1/4 cup basil, organic, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste 

Dressing:

2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbls lime juice, freshly squeezed

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

What you do: 

Mix all quinoa ingredients into mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients.

Pour dressing over quinoa and mix.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!