I could not believe it. I was working on formatting the cookbook until about 1:30 a.m. and when I went to bed it was still hovering around 90 humid degrees.

We are just about into those dog days of summer when even the bugs seem to take shelter in the afternoon heat! It is tough for me to think about a nice hot meal when…well…seriously, over the past few days some of the eggs that we have collected from our chickens have been soft boiled! Pinkie swear! The first time it happened I thought… “ewww, I got a partially developed egg.” We are good about collecting them several times a day so I couldn’t see how that could happen. The next time it happened I looked closer and, sure enough…It was soft boiled.

Now that is hot!

These are what my mom used to call “salad days”!

This black eyed pea salad is different. It has a definite southern flavor with a Texican twist. I think you will like it. Serve it with some grilled corn on the cob and an icy chunk of watermelon. It just doesn’t get better than this.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

6 cups cooked black eyed peas
1 yellow pepper, coarsely chopped
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
3 cucumbers, sliced or chopped your choice..peel if waxed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsely
1 tsp dried chipotle (Archer Farms does a great one)

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (more to taste)
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Combine salad ingredients.

Combine vinaigrette ingredients. Shake well and pour over salad. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. Serves 6-8.

Image: Marye Audet 

Post from: Baking Delights