My absolute new favourite (don’t tell the others!) With the cost of living sky-rocketing and time to cook and plan evaporating – I needed something that requires little preparation and could last in the fridge for a few days and of course was nourishing and healthy. God really has given us all we need to live a healthy life and these little beans are full of goodness and benefits; they are great for your heart, and your blood pressure, they are full of protein, can help combat anemia, and keeps your bones strong! I use my pressure cooker for the dried beans for about 10 minutes but you could also soak them overnight and cook in a saucepan with water or use tinned, whichever is easiest for you.

Ingredients

2-3 x cups of black-eyed peas (cooked in a little stock until softened)
1 x red onion – finely chopped
1 x long light green pepper – chopped
2 x spring onions – finely chopped (use all the green bits)
Juice x 1 medium lemon
1/2 x cup of fresh chopped dill (according to taste – but don’t skip the dill it makes all the difference)
1/2 cup x pitted green or black olives – chopped
2 x tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 x tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 x cup – chopped cornichons
1 x tsp sea salt
1 x tsp ground black pepper

Method
If using dried black-eyed peas, soak overnight in cold water and boil until soft in a little vegetable stock. I cook mine in stock in the pressure cooker (without overnight soaking) for 10 minutes, then drain.

Chop the red onion and spring onion finely and drop into a large bowl with the drained black-eyed peas. Add the chopped pepper and olives and stir together. Now add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, vinegar, and fresh chopped dill. Throw in the chopped cornichons if using.

Gently combine everything and taste, add more salt or oil/lemon etc. if needed. Tip into a large plastic tupperware and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. this salad gets better as it sits, so can be used for lunch for 3-4 days in succession.

This bean salad is kind to your purse, keeps you filled up for a good few hours, and is beneficial to your health – so give it a try!