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| Black Eyed Pea Tabbouleh ~ This gluten-free version (using black eyed peas instead of the traditional bulgur wheat) gets it's fresh taste from using fruit in the salad, instead of the expected veggies.
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Have you ever had one of those days, when you get a craving that hits you from out of nowhere? I was craving tabbouleh yesterday, big time, but I was fresh out of bulgur wheat. Darn! I did have a big bunch of parsley in the fridge & it continued calling my name. I had to figure out a way to satisfy my hunger, using what I had available. After rummaging around in the pantry & the veggie/fruit bins, I came up with a colorful assortment of ingredients to work with. Now that I think about it, I bet I was actually craving the parsley. I guess my body wanted a bit of spring detoxing. Happy to say, I came up with a wonderful salad that was full of flavor, color, & all-around goodness. Since I substituted black eyed peas for the bulgur wheat, it became gluten-free. Cool. I really think this salad can be used as a lighter tasting stand-in for traditional tabbouleh. Who says black eyed peas are only for eating at New Years, in Hoppin' John or Texas Caviar? I'll definitely be making this salad again, as well as adding more black eyed peas to our diet ~ so glad I was out of bulgur wheat. :)
I went over to Livestrong.com & got the scoop on all the items (parsley, black eyed peas, oranges, red grapes, purple onion, balsamic vinegar, walnuts, mint, & extra virgin olive oil) that I used to make the salad. I was really pleased to see how much healthy goodness went into my impromptu lunch salad. This recipe is a keeper, it reminds me of what is served in some of the restaurants I used to go to when I lived in Los Angeles. California has access to such great produce, year round, it's easy to see why they like to use it in fresh dishes, like this. Enjoy!
Black Eyed Pea Tabbouleh Salad
serves 2-3 1 can black eyed peas, rinsed & drained
3 cups fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup red grapes, cut in half
1 orange, peeled & cut into chunks
1/4 cup purple onion, rinsed & cut into thin strips (or to taste)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp dried mint, crushed (or more if you like a more pronounced mint flavor)
(or 5 fresh mint leaves, chopped)
Dressing (double if you like a lot of dressing on your tabbouleh)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp orange juice
~ salt & pepper, to taste
1) toss first 7 ingredients in large bowl
2) in a small jar shake until blended ~ olive oil, vinegar & orange juice
& pour over the tabbouleh
3) toss all together until combined, salt & pepper to taste
