CHIPOTLE LIME MEXICAN BLACK EYE PEAS SALAD

Black eyes peas and lots of raw veggies in a refreshing spicy salad makes the perfect on the go lunch. I usually cook my beans ahead of time,  and sometimes freeze them too so that I always have some available when needed. It requires a little more planning, but the final product is far superior to the canned ones which are usually full of preservatives, BPA, and salt. I would also recommend using organic corn in this recipe to avoid GMO's.

CHIPOTLE LIME MEXICAN BLACK EYE PEAS SALAD

Ingredients for the salad:

3 cups cooked black eye peas ( about 1 1/3 cup dried)

1/4 cup red onions, chopped small

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

2 celery stalks, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced very small

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped small

Ingredients for the dressing:  

3/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of avocado oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons of lime juice

2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon of chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 dates, pitted

2 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

To make the beans: 

Soak the beans for 4 hours to overnight, 

In a sauce pan, combine the beans with 5 cups of water.

Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender.

Drain excess water and let them cool.

To make the salad:

In a bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients together except the lettuce. 

To make the dressing:

Put all the ingredients into a high speed blender and mix until you get a very smooth consistency

To assemble:

Mix most of the dressing with the bean salad, put the bean mixture over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce. Use the rest of the dressing as needed.

Makes 4 servings