Here is a wonderful and healthy side dish idea!  We had this Southwest Black Eyed Pea Salad the other night alongside juicy pork that had slow cooked in root beer and many of the ingredients I use in my Rootie’s BBQ Sauce (click for the recipe). I won’t go into too much detail about the pork but I accidentally poured a splash of cream soda into the roasting pan before realizing it wasn’t a can of root beer (YIKES!) But, it did add a fun little flair to the pork.   I actually put all my meat and black eyed goodness together in a taco shell with some sour cream and salsa because anytime you mix the south with the southwest, it’s a good thing…  You could totally serve this salad at a pot luck or as a nice dish when entertaining or if you have some leftover meat, just do like I did!  Whip up the black eyed pea salad and make tacos one night.  You’ll love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 ear of grilled corn cut off the cob (or 1 cup frozen corn kernels)
• 1 can black eyed peas drained and rinsed
• 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
• 1 bunch of green onions chopped
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 20-24 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 limes juiced
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Course salt and pepper to taste