Veggie and Black Eyed Pea Salad, from Dara

The second is this salad that I made the other night to use some of our garden produce and some black eyed peas I had frozen. I am giving approximate amounts I used, but really, I just added everything until the proportions looked good to me.

1 1/2 c. cooked black eyed peas (equivalent to 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 lg carrot, diced
approx. 1/5 of a 1 lb bag of acini de pepe. I think this would work with any small pasta or grain.

(I am going to try with quinoa next time; I think orzo, brown rice, Israeli couscous, or wild rice blend would work too. I had acini de pepe to use up, but I made too much and so I just put some in the salad and saved the rest.)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 tiny green onions from the garden (maybe 1 - 2 regular size)
salt
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
apple cider vinegar

Cook and drain the pasta or grain. Saute the red pepper and carrot in a pan with some oil for 5 - 10 minutes until softened; I like to get some of it browned. Mix the pasta or grain, black eyed peas, red pepper, and carrot. Add salt, olive oil, and both vinegars to taste. (I add a bit, taste, adjust, etc. I used more balsamic than apple cider vinegar, and used some salt since I cooked the beans without). Then add the cilantro and green onions and mix once more.