Kale and Black Eyed Pea Salad

In the Southern United States, eating black eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring good luck in the coming year. This year, we figured we could try to get some extra good luck by eating a variation on New Year’s Eve in addition to the usual New Year’s Day meal. We wanted to play with the traditional Southern flavors but create something that is fresh and different. We ended up with a salad made with equal parts kale and spinach as the base and topped off with colorful bell peppers and black eyed peas. The dressing is a cider and shallot vinaigrette. Caramelizing the shallots brings sweetness to the dressing which is nicely balanced by the spiciness of the red chili flakes.

One of our favorite things about this salad is that it keeps for several days. We literally just finished the batch we made on Thursday at lunch today. So go ahead, toss that salad and have an even better version tomorrow.

Kale and Black Eyed Pea Salad

Yield

4 servings

Prep Time / Cook Time

15 minutes / 5 minutes

Activity Guide

Car Camping, Picnic

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked black eyed peas
• 1 cup kale, finely chopped
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 3/4 cup yellow, orange or red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste

Tools

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Large bowl
• Whisk

Method

1. Combine kale, spinach, black eyed peas, peppers and green onions in a bowl.
2. In a small skillet heat one tablespoon of the olive oil and saute the shallot over low heat until caramelized. Add the red chile flakes and continue to cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and add the remaining oil, cider vinegar, and dijon mustard and whisk or stir to combine.
3. Toss the salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and serve.