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O2 Fitness Food of the Week: Black Eyed Peas

Written by O2 Fitness | Dec 23, 2013

Black-eyed peas are a healthy option to add protein to your meal without adding fat. This legume provides a negligible amount of fat while packing in a lot of fiber (7 grams in one cup) and a good amount of protein (about 5 grams in one cup).  One cup of black-eyed peas deliver 20 percent of your daily needs of calcium and iron, and 52 percent of your daily folate needs (a vital nutrient for pregnant women).

Greek Black-Eyed Peas Salad Recipe

Makes 8-10 servings

 Ingredients:

  • 2  cups dry black-eyed peas (or two 15-ounce cans – see note below)
  • Salt
  • 1 (7 ounce) package of feta cheese
  • 1 (8 ounce) jar of sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
  • 1 cup black olives, preferably Kalamata or oil-cured
  • 1 finely chopped green onion
  • 1 finely chopped garlic clove
  • 1 large bunch of spinach (about 1 pound), washed & chopped
  • Zest and juice of a lemon

Preparation:

  • Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Turn the heat down to low and add the black-eyed peas. Let them cook slowly, uncovered, until they are done, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how old the peas are. Don’t let the water simmer.
  • Add the spinach to a large bowl. Crumble the feta cheese into the bowl and add all the other ingredients except the lemon juice. Mix well.
  • When the black-eyed peas are done, pour them into a colander and spray them with cold water to stop the cooking. Pick through and discard any loose skins or mashed peas; you’ll find a few, but hopefully not many.
  • Add the black-eyed peas to the salad, mix well and serve. Squirt some lemon juice over each serving before you take them to the table.

NOTE: You can substitute canned black-eyed peas for the dry peas. Use approximately two 15-ounce cans. Rinse thoroughly. Skip step 1 and step 3 in the method instructions.