Monday, December 26, 2011

Black-Eyed Pea Salad for Kwanzaa



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Kwanzaa, an African-America festival, is not a religious celebration. It is, rather, a week long observance of African heritage and culture that focuses on agricultural celebrations and the sharing of food with family and community. It is based on the seven principals of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. The name of the holiday, which is observed from December 26th to January 1st, comes from the Swahili word that means first fruit of the harvest. During this time, celebrants enjoy traditional African dishes, or dishes made from ingredients the slaves brought with them to the United States. The dishes originally associated with the holiday were inspired by traditional tribal foods from various parts of Africa. These days, standards have relaxed and Southern soul food, particularly selections that come from the Low Country of South Carolina, Georgia and Northeast Florida, dominate Kwanzaa tables. In my search for dishes that might be part of the Kwanzaa feast, I found this recipe from Pat and Gina Neely. It's for a black-eyed pea salad that is similar to Cowboy Caviar. It is fast and easy to prepare and I think you might enjoy it, even if you don't observe Kwanzaa. Here's the Neely's recipe.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Pat and Gina Neely
Ingredients:

1 large tomato, diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained

Directions:
1) Combine tomato, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, green onion and parsley in a bowl.
2) In a separate small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, canola oil, sugar, and salt and pepper.
3) Toss all together and let marinate for at up to 8 hours in refrigerator before serving. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.








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20 comments :

Ginny Hartzler said...

I hope you had a great Christmas day! I heard this is a southern tradition to have on New Years Day.

Diane said...

This dish looks really delicious, hope you had a good day yesterday. Keep well Diane

Kavi said...

that looks really good! and well garnished with vinegar and pepper. and all that protein from bean is an added bonus! :)
-
Kavi
(Edible Entertainment)

Endy said...

Yum... i'm lovin it!

Rachana said...

Hope you a lovely Christmas Mary.

The Salad looks delicious.

That Girl said...

Black-eyed peas are also good luck for the new year!

Tanna said...

We will be enjoying black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, although in the summer they make frequent appearances on our table. LOVE 'em! blessings ~ tanna

Rita said...

I have been wantingto make this fo so long; and with canned peas, Thank you for positn this one.
Rita

My Little Space said...

Merry Christmas to you & your family, Mary. Errrr....I've difficulties to log into the site for the past 2 days. Luckily, I'm in now and manage to comment as well.
Hope you're all well and having a fabulous time with loads of fun & laughter. Sure those kids are making lots of noise in your house. Yeah. it's already end of the year. Hope the coming 2012 will be a blessed one. Do take care & have a great time.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year too!
May god bless you all.
Best wishes
Kristy

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

This is the best description of Kwanzaa I've read, and a lovely salad for the celebration. Hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas!

Nicole said...

I haven't yet tried black-eyed peas, but I would very much like to! They look very tasty in this dish. I hope your Christmas was wonderful!

kitchen flavours said...

That's a bowl of delicious looking salad!
Hope your Christmas day was fun! Happy Holidays!

From the Kitchen said...

New Year's day means black-eye peas in some form. This dish sounds delicious and looks beautiful. Even though we like black-eye peas, I seem to fix them only on New Year's day. Maybe that could be a resolution....!

Best,
Bonnie

Sofia.Lopez said...

Hello Mary, how are you? :)
This salad looks wonderfull! Very colourful and yammy, i loved it ;)
Have a nice day Mary
kiss for you :)

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

This recipe is very similar to Texas caviar. I make black eyed peas for New Years day...a different recipe each year.

Joanne said...

This would also be perfect for New Year's!

Katarina said...

This looks delicious! Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I loooove black eyed peas, but I've never actually cooked with them! I don't know why not, especially with a delicious recipe like this around...

Stephanie said...

Looks delish!

Claudia said...

Yes, Mary. I would like this. And don't black-eyed peas bring luck in the New Year?

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