Mississippi Caviar

In the spirit of the New Year and to honor the Southern tradition of having black eyed peas for good luck today I thought I would share my first recipe for the year and make it something with black eyed peas.

This recipe originally came from Nathalie Dupree. It’s totally vegan. This makes a good bit so feel free to cut it down but this will keep in the fridge for a week with all the vinegar and it just gets better with a little age. It's meant to be an appetizer but I don't see why in the world you couldn't serve it as a side salad. I haven't tried it but I imagine you could make this with other canned beans or peas and I'm thinking chickpeas (garbanzo) would be especially nice.

Ingredients
3 (16 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped hot peppers
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup drained, chopped pimento
1 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt
Hot sauce
Tortilla chips

Preparation

Combine peas, bell peppers, hot peppers, onion, pimento and garlic. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil and mustard and pour over the bean mixture; mix well. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce. With a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the bean mixture slightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Drain the "caviar" well and serve with pita or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!