Roasted Black-Eyed Pea Mason Jar Salad May 25 2018, 0 Comments
I recently enjoyed roasted black-eyed peas at an 'intentionally inauthentic' Chinese restaurant with an awesome classic rock playlist (shout out Red's Chinese). Ever since then, I've wanted to make them the star of a mason jar salad.
Black-eyed peas, which are actually beans, are considered lucky- some cultures believe that eating them will lead to a prosperous and luck-filled year. They also have many health benefits. Since they are so high in fiber, they improve digestion. They are also high in iron, potassium and vitamin A.
Here's the recipe I came up with, and it's pretty tasty, if I must say so myself:
Prep time: 60 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 16oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 2 cups of uncooked black-eyed peas
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry couscous
- 1 bell pepper
- 1/2 cup of feta cheese
- 5oz olive oil and vinegar dressing
Directions
- Start by cooking the black-eyed peas: rinse the dry black-eyed peas and then place in a pot with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender (30-40 minutes).
- Roast the black-eyed peas: preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Dry the black-eyed peas and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread evenly on the backing sheet and then place in the oven and roast for about 40 minutes (stir halfway through).
- Cook the couscous: bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and then add in the couscous. Cover and remove from heat, let stand for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add some garlic powder or other seasoning if desired.
- Prep the other ingredients: chop the cucumber and pepper, cut the tomatoes in half.
- Layer the ingredients evenly across 5 mason jars in this order: dressing, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, couscous, feta cheese, black-eyed peas, lettuce.
- Replace mason jar lids and store upright in the fridge and enjoy all week long.
