These little guys are actually beans, and are high in fiber, folate, iron, vitamin A, B and and potassium. They also are only 160 calories per cup! Try this salad out which is perfect for BBQs and potlucks (if it ever stops raining!).

Ingredients

1 cup black eyed peas, uncooked and rinsed (2.5 cups cooked)

3 large garlic cloves, 2 of them crushed and left in the skin, 1 of them minced

1/2 onion, intact

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

2 medium tomatoes, in season only, diced

1 medium fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound), trimmed, quartered, cored and sliced very thin across the grain

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

1/3 cup chopped chives

2 ounces feta, crumbled

1. Place the black-eyed peas, whole crushed garlic cloves, halved onion and bay leaf in a large, heavy saucepan and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender but intact, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, remove the lid and allow the black-eyed peas to cool for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the onion. Remove the garlic cloves, squeeze the cooked garlic out of the skins and back into the black-eyed peas, and drain through a strainer set over a bowl. (Alternatively you can throw those peas in an instant pot with the same ingredients.)

2. Transfer the black-eyed peas to a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, salt, pepper. Toss with the beans. Add the remaining ingredients except the feta and toss together. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the feta over the top and serve.

Yield: 5 cups

Nutritional information per serving (about 1 cup): 119 calories; 1.6 g fat; 21 g carbs; 4 g fiber; 8 g protein

Pro tip: Use this as your vegetables + starch and add a protein to it, or use as your vegetable + protein and bulk up with a little more veggies. Feta would be your fat if you include it.