I think it’s good that we take a break from all the heavy festive foods enjoyed during Ugadi festival and have a salad for a change. Not that I’m a diet freak or preacher, on the contrary I’m a firm believer that we can (and should) eat whatever we want and enjoy all the good things in life…of course in moderation! I’m here today to share an awesomely tasting Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad in Endive Boats. Black-eyed peas and quinoa make a hearty pair, embellished with lots of flavourful tomatoes and many more veggies!!
Black-eyed peas are actually a bean and whichever way you like them, one thing is for sure, they are loaded with health benefits. They are available dried, frozen and canned and very healthy when included in a well-balanced diet. They are very high in fibre content. Lower in calories and higher in folate than any other conventional bean, they are a great source of plant protein just like other beans.
Quinoa is a popular substitute for rice, couscous or pasta. A gluten-free-grain, that’s extremely versatile and suitable for both savoury and sweet dishes. It’s chewy, nutty and completely delicious, especially in salads. The two most commonly used are white and red quinoa. Red quinoa is slightly more earthy with a nuttier taste and turns a brownish colour when cooked. I’ve used the white one in this recipe but, if you want you can also use a mix of both. Added to this super nutritious grain is my favourite black-eyed beans, both of which provide extra fibre, protein and texture.
The glory in this Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad is that you can adjust the add-ins based on what you already have at home. Don’t be afraid to be experimental. All these nutty grains and beans along with veggies will require quite a bit of jaw action, which is really fabulous and will leave you feeling less deprived and well fed for having had ‘just a salad ‘ for dinner….while keeping you feeling light.
I love the different textures happening in this Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad! This salad has a range of flavours and looks very elegant. Ideally can be served as lunch or as a salad for a party. The contrasting textures from the crunchy Endive and Cucumber and the soft and creamy Avocados and Quinoa itself makes for a very interesting mix. The cherry tomatoes have a refreshing flavour and also a sweet taste. The endive has a bitter taste but then it gets balanced with other flavours. The zesty vinaigrette dressing also adds a sweet, spicy and acidic kick to the salad.
Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad is actually good when the flavours are allowed to rest for at least an hour or even better the second day because the flavours really meld and it’s just fantastic! This makes it a great dish to prepare ahead of time for a busy weeknight or a yummy packed lunch!
A great option for picnics, barbecues and potlucks as it’s different than everything people usually bring! However, after filling the endive spears with the quinoa salad, they will be great utensil-free appetisers!!
Off to the recipe!!
Easy step to follow to make Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad:
- Rinse dried black-eyed peas, soak for about 2 hours in water and pressure cook with a pinch of salt. Drain the water and use. You can also use canned peas.
- Rinse quinoa well then add to cooking pot with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
- Ingredients to chop and for Vinaigrette: Finely dice all the veggies, halve cherry tomatoes and set aside. Dice avocado and coat it with lemon juice to avoid browning.
- Trim endives and separate to individual spears.
- Dressing: In a small bowl, juice half a lemon then whisk together with olive oil and Red wine vinegar (or any vinegar of your choice) sugar (or honey) and salt. To this add chopped garlic, shallots and chilli flakes and mix well.
- For the Salad: In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa with black-eyed peas and add cucumber, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and cilantro. Top up with Avocado just before serving.
- Add dressing to salad, toss to combine. Adjust seasonings before serving.
- Spoon onto endive boats (spears), top with avocado and serve.
Black Eyed Pea Quinoa Salad in Endive Boats | Quinoa Salad Recipe With Zesty Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 cup Black eyed Peas
- 1 cup Quinoa
- For the Salad mix:
- 1 cup Black eyed Peas cooked and drained
- 1 cup Quinoa cooked
- ½ cup cucumber peeled & diced
- Few cherry tomatoes halved (red & yellow)
- ½ cup Red onion diced
- ½ cup Red bell pepper deseeded and diced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 3 heads Endive trimmed & separated to spears
- 1 Avocado peeled, seeded & diced, for garnish
- Salt to taste
- Dressing:
- Juice of half fresh lemon or as per taste
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar or Vinegar of your choice
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- Salt to taste
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon shallots finely diced
- ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes
Instructions
- Rinse dried black-eyed peas, soak for about 2 hours in water and pressure cook with a pinch of salt. Drain the water and used cooked black-eyed peas. You can also use canned peas.
- Rinse quinoa well then add to cooking pot with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa with black-eyed peas and add cucumber, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and cilantro.
- In a separate bowl, juice half a lemon then whisk together with olive oil and apple cider vinegar and salt. To this add chopped garlic, shallots and chilli flakes.
- Add dressing to salad, toss to combine. Adjust seasonings before serving.
- Spoon onto endive spears, top with avocado and serve.
Notes
2. You can also substitute cherry tomatoes with regular tomato, diced.
3. Use any vinegar of your choice or you can also use just lemon and honey dressing. The rest of the ingredients for dressing will remain the same.
4. You can also make the same salad using couscous, bulgur, cracked wheat or pasta.
5. Prep time doesn't include soaking of beans.
6. Adjust seasonings to suit your taste. Quantities and choice of veggies can be adjusted to your liking.
This post is a part of blog hop by the Culinary Hoppers team. Do check out other salad recipes from our team!!
- Poornima (3 -way Peanut salad, carrot cucumber slaw with apple cider)
- Vani (Lebanese tabbouleh salad)
- Anu (Roasted sweet potato salad with greek yogurt dressing, Greek yogurt dressing) ,
- Jayashree (watermelon cucumber salad)
- Piyali (grilled vegetable pasta with sunflower seeds and curry leaf pesto)
- Shubha (Thai salad with peanut butter dressing)
- Swati (Roasted cauliflower chickpea and couscous salad )
- Shobana (Corn salad)
Many more to come!! Stay tuned!!
Happy Cooking 🙂
Cheers!!
Padma.
