Sweet Potato French Bean Lentil Salad

When you want to lighten up your menu for the holidays, this salade composée of “roasted” sweet potatoes, lentils and French beans, dressed with a shallot vinaigrette, Mandarin oranges and cilantro is perfect. Festively colored and full of flavor, it's substantial enough to be a main course, or serve smaller portions as a starter or side dish.  

During the roasting hot days of summer in Dubai we eat a lot of salads, what the French would call salades composées, created as they are of many colorful ingredients and substantially suitable for a main course. Our days are slightly less hot right now but we still want mostly cool food in the evenings and, with the supermarkets full of fall produce, our salads take a decidedly autumnal turn with the addition of sweet potatoes or pumpkin or butternut squash.

Since I try not to turn the oven on unless absolutely necessary, I “roast” the sweet potatoes in a dry non-stick skillet, only adding a small drizzle of olive oil when the potatoes cubes are well-browned, even a little charred in places. I’ve given the quantities for my salad but feel free to add more tomatoes if you love them or choose a different cheese or substitute grapefruit for the oranges and chickpeas for lentils or whatever! This salad is easily adaptable to your taste.

This week Sunday Supper is sharing holiday salads. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of my recipe to see what other wonderful dishes we have for you to try.

Sweet Potato French Bean Lentil Salad

This served two of us for a good supper with some leftovers for lunch the next day but it's sure to be a favorite on your holiday table as well.

Ingredients
2 small sweet potatoes
5 1/3 oz or 150g French beans
1/2 cup or 105g dried caviar lentils
1 shallot
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 large Mandarin orange
13-15 sweet grape or cherry tomatoes
Good bunch cilantro
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle for the sweet potato pan
3/4 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt
Black pepper
4 3/4 oz or 135g soft aged goat cheese (Mine is a goat milk Brie.)

Method
Peel and cut your sweet potatoes in bite-sized chunks. Toss them into a dry non-stick skillet and cook over a medium high to high fire, turning and stirring them frequently until they are browned all over.

Drizzle in a little olive oil and stir the cubes to coat. Add in a generous splash of water, reduce the heat and cover the pan tightly. Cook the sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the stove and leave to cool.

Cut the stem ends off of the fine French beans and blanch them in slightly salty boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice and water.

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the beans from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into the bowl of ice water. When the green beans are cold, remove them from the ice water and drain well on a clean tea towel.

Add your lentils to the boiling green bean water and cook for about 20 minutes or until they are just tender.

Drain your lentils, rinse them and leave them to drain again.

Slice your shallot as thinly as you can and put it in a large bowl. Pour the vinegar over the sliced shallot and set aside. This reduces the sharpness of the raw shallots while flavoring the vinegar.

Peel your Mandarin orange and pull the pegs apart. Use a sharp knife to slice off the hard center and remove any seeds. Cut the orange pieces in half.

Halve your little tomatoes and chop the leaves and tender top stems of the bunch of cilantro roughly.

Mix the whole grained mustard and olive oil into the vinegar and shallots, along with the sea salt and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Add in the cut oranges and stir well.

Add the “roasted” sweet potato and blanched green beans to the dressing bowl.

Top those with the cilantro and tomatoes. Toss the salad thoroughly, making sure to reach deep and dress everything with the dressing and shallots at the bottom of the bowl.

Finally, add the drained lentils and toss again.

Scoop the salad into a pretty serving dish, if desired, and top with small wedges of soft rind goat cheese.

Enjoy!

Check out all the holiday salads we have for you today!

Festive Holiday Salad Recipes

• Best Ambrosia Salad by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cranberry Fluff Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Walnut Potato Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Easy Green Bean Salad by Cricket’s Confections
• Layered Christmas Gelatin Salad by Positively Stacey
• Orange Fennel Salad by Pies and Plots
• Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad by Bottom Left of the Mitten

Bountiful Holiday Salad Recipes

• Roasted Artichoke Salad by Sunday Supper Movement
• Roasted Vegetable & Goat Cheese Salad by My Life Cookbook
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing by Bites of Wellness
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Drunken Cranberries by Our Good Life
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Dressing by Life Tastes Good
• Sweet Potato French Bean Lentil Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Winter Beet Salad with Goat’s Cheese Dressing by Caroline’s Cooking
• Winter Fruit Salad by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Winter Slaw with Pecans and Maple Dressing by Sprinkles and Sprouts

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Grilled Tuna Niçoise Salad #FishFridayFoodies

Not the traditional French recipe from Nice, this Grilled Tuna Niçoise Salad is going to be a favorite for folks who aren’t crazy about canned tuna. Lightly grilled fresh tuna brings a lovely freshness to the plate which includes potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, artichokes, olives and mixed greens.

This month my Fish Friday Foodies group is creating recipes with grilled seafood but, frankly, it’s still pretty hot here in Dubai to stand over a scorching charcoal grill. Fortunately, when I asked our organizer and this month's host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm if something cooked on a grill pan would be okay, she responded positively.

This is another one of those salads that makes a whole meal. It will easily served three to four people as a main course, perhaps with warm bread or dessert to fill out the meal, or six to eight as a starter.

Grilled Tuna Niçoise Salad

Ingredients
For the salad:
8-10 quail eggs, boiled, peeled and chilled (This can be done the day before.)
7 oz or 200g fine green beans, stems removed
450g or 1 lb baby potatoes
1 jar small artichokes, well drained (5 2/3 oz or 160g, drained weight)
8.5 oz or 240g fresh tuna steak
1 tablespoon lime juice
Drizzle olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup or 80g kalamata olives, unpitted
Mixed greens (I used baby cos and arugula.)
5 oz or 140g mixed cherry tomatoes

For the mustard vinaigrette: (Makes just under a 1/2 cup or 115ml)
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
5 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 teaspoon strong Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of fresh black pepper

Method
Put a large pot of water on to boil with a teaspoon or two of the sea salt. Fill a medium sized bowl with ice and water and set aside.

When the pot of water comes to the boil, put the green beans in for 2 minutes. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them directly into the bowl of ice water.

Carefully add the potatoes to the boiling water (you do not want to splash yourself!) and cook till just tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the vinaigrette by adding all of the ingredients into a clean jar and shaking good till they are combined.

Drain the potatoes and put them in a small bowl. Use a sharp knife to cut them into halves, then pour half of the vinaigrette over then, and stir to coat. Set aside to cool.

After you drain the small artichokes, set them upside down on paper towels to absorb even more of the excess water.

As you prepare the rest of the salad, return to the potatoes occasionally and give them another gentle stir. This helps them cool faster as well as making sure that the dressing is being absorbed.

Dry the tuna off with paper towels, then rub it with the lime juice. Drizzle on a little olive oil then season it with a healthy sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat your grill pan over a high heat for a few minutes. It’s ready when a drop of water instantly vaporizes.

Grill the tuna steak for 1 1/2 minutes each side, then just 20 more seconds on the first side. Set it to cool on a clean cutting board.

Use the side of a knife to smash the olives so you can remove the pits.

On a large platter, begin assembling the salad. Start with the greens, then slowly build up.

Try to distribute all the ingredients, except the tuna and quail eggs, evenly around the platter.

Use a very sharp knife to cut the tuna into slices and lay them on the salad.

Use a spoon to drizzle on more of the salad dressing.

Finally, half the quail eggs with a sharp knife and add them to the top. We like our egg yolks runny so I gave these pretty much the same treatment as the green beans with just 2 minutes in boiling water, then an ice water bath to stop the cooking.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other lovely grilled seafood dishes we have for you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Broccolini Chicken Pear Blue Cheese Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Who says greens have to be leafy to make a great salad? Lightly cooked broccolini adds great flavor and bite to this wonderful recipe for broccolini chicken pear blue cheese salad.

Growing up, I was never a fan of pears because of their texture. I found them a bit gritty, for want of a better word. Recently I discovered that they aren’t all that way and I have been converted. In Dubai, we have produce imported from all over the world so, as long as you are willing to pay the price, choice fresh fruit is available year round. I try to buy what’s in season closest to me with occasional special treats of produce from farther afield.

The pears that convinced me were Coscia pears, an Italian variety. I first liked them baked into an almond pear bread pudding but then decided they were pretty good raw as well. When I looked them up, the interwebs told me that they were granular in texture, but I didn’t find that true at all. Maybe mine were special but I’ve bought them a few times since and, while they aren’t as smooth as apples, they aren’t as gritty as the pears I recall from when I was little.

Another recipe for Salad Month
Like the crunchy green bean, tomato, chicken and pearl couscous salad I posted earlier this month, this salad can also be served without the chicken. But when I am serving it as a main course, I think the additional protein helps make it a more filling meal. As another bonus, it can also be made ahead of time, which makes it perfect for a packed lunch at school or at work. Or for serving dinner guests.

Broccolini, Chicken, Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Warm Vinaigrette

Pears and blue cheese are a classic combination of sweet and salty, especially if you have crisp pears that are just ripe and fragrant with pear-y-ness. Together they lift the broccolini and chicken into something fabulous. And whether the salad is served slightly chilled or at room temperature right after you make it, the warm honey mustard vinaigrette is the perfect dressing.

Ingredients – to serve 2 as a meal, 4 as a starter
For the salad:
2 small boneless chicken breasts
Sea salt
Black pepper
Cayenne
1 tablespoon olive oil
7 oz or 200g broccolini aka tenderstem broccoli
1/4 small onion, sliced thinly
1 pear, ripe but firm
3 oz or 57g soft blue cheese (I like Bleu d'Auvergne for this recipe – it’s made with cow’s milk and is milder than Roquefort.)

For the warm honey mustard vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method
Season the chicken breasts with the salt and two peppers. Pan-fry them in the olive oil until golden on both sides and cooked through. Depending on the thickness of your breasts, this could take as few as five minutes and as many as 10. Do not overcook them or, as we all know, chicken breasts dry out. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil and fill a bowl with cold water and some ice cubes.

When the water comes to a boil, pu the broccolini in careful so you don’t scald yourself with a splash of boiling water. Set a timer for two minutes.

When the timer rings, scoop the broccolini out with a slotted spoon and pop it directly into the ice water. This ensures that it stays brightly green. Once chilled, remove the broccolini, drain and leave it to dry.

Cut the chicken breasts into 8-9 slices each. Divide the broccolini between two plates and add a sliced chicken breast to each. Add the sliced onion.

Core and thinly slice the pear on top of the broccolini. Crumble the blue cheese on top of both.

At this point, the plates can be chilled, covered with cling film, until you are ready to serve. Remove the plates from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before serving to allow time for the salad to warm up a little.

To make the warm vinaigrette, whisk all of the ingredients - except the oil - together in a small pot or microwaveable bowl, then warm the mixture gently over a low fire or with a couple of quick zaps of the microwave. Whisk in the olive oil, a little at a time, until the vinaigrette has emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the warm honey mustard vinaigrette over the salad.

Enjoy!

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Curried Shrimp Salad

Serve this spicy curried shrimp salad with crackers, in a bread bun or wrapped in lettuce leaves for a deliciously spicy appetizer or cool dinner.

Despite the fact that I am in cool Los Angeles, it’s still August so that means we are midway through my self-imposed Salad Month. I hope those of you in warmer climes are enjoying the recipes and the rest of you are pinning them for later. I head back to Dubai on Wednesday, where it’s still scorching hot, so I anticipate that salads for dinner will no doubt be favorites for some weeks to come.

I hope you've also enjoyed following along on Instagram as I journeyed by car from the east coast to the west coast of the United States with my daughters. We took in some fabulous sights, from Niagara Falls and the St. Louis Arch to the natural arches near Moab, UT and the Grand Canyon and so much more.

A couple of months back, it was my honor to be invited to a wedding shower in Dubai, given by a good friend. Naturally, I asked what I could bring. She gave me free rein so this is one of the dishes I made. Curried shrimp salad is special enough for a party but easy enough to serve the family for simple summer dinner as well.

Ingredients
1 lb or 450g cleaned and shelled shrimp
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced, salted, drained
1 cup or 215g mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
hot sauce, optional
2 spring onions, white and part of green for salad – some greens chopped for garnish

To serve: crackers, toasted bread or split bread rolls to make sandwiches or lettuce leaves for wraps

Method
Cook the shrimp by dropping them into boiling water for just a few minutes. Drain them and rinse with cold water. Leave in a colander to drain.

Chop the roots off of your spring onions and discard. Cut the whites into thin circles, along with most of the green parts. Chop the rest of the green parts and set aside for garnish.

Cut your cucumber into quarters lengthwise then use a sharp knife to remove the seedy core. Discard or feed to your furry helper. (My Boxer loves them!) Cut the cucumber into very thin slices and lay them on a folded paper towels to absorb the excess moisture.

In a small bowl, combine the curry powder, ground cumin and the larger pile of chopped green onions with the mayonnaise.

If you are serving this curried shrimp salad as an appetizer at a party, set aside one whole shrimp for garnish then chop the remaining shrimp. First of all, it looks pretty but I also like to give folks a heads up that a dish contains something that is a known potential allergen by showing it on top.

Taste the mayo dressing. Some store-bought curry powders contain more pepper than others. If you like things spicier, add some hot sauce to taste and stir well.

In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped shrimp with the curried mayo and the cucumber until thoroughly mixed.

Serve the curried shrimp salad with crackers as an appetizer, small lettuce leaves for rolls, or use it to make sandwiches with fresh sliced bread or rolls.

Enjoy!

Here are a few more salads you are sure to enjoy! 

• Arugula, Parma Ham and Fresh Mozzarella Salad with Sun-dried Tomato Dressing 
• Quinoa Salad with Cucumber, Onion and Oranges 
• Spicy Asian Lobster Noodle Salad 
• Homemade Tabouli 
• Cantaloupe, Salami and Feta Salad 

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Halloumi Freekeh Peach Salad #FoodieExtravaganza

This halloumi freekeh peach salad features pan-fried salty cheese, nutty freekeh and sweet peaches along with baby arugula and spicy cashews for a delightfully fresh and filling meal. Drizzle it with chili peach vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

My self-imposed Salad Month starts in earnest with this beautiful salad that is perfect for a full meal for two or a starter for four. It’s what we call “fancy salad” at our house, which means it has greens, fruit, cheese and nuts. These vary by what we have on hand or feel like eating but fancy salad should contain those four essential ingredients.

But since this month's Foodie Extravaganza ingredient is peaches, that is the fruit I chose. If you love summer peaches, you are going to love this salad and this edition of Foodie Extravaganza. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see the other lovely peach recipes we have for you today.

In this case, the freekeh, another of the so-called ancient grains, adds a little more bulk, making this a light but filling salad, perfect for lunch or dinner just on its own. The day I put it together, my husband was away from home on a business trip, so I served it up and then added the chili peach vinaigrette to my portion. I ate the rest the next day and it was still fabulous.

If you’ve never cooked freekeh, check out this info and easy instructions on BBC Good Food. I cooked a whole cup, which gave me more than enough for this salad, as well as leftovers to add to another salad, another day. It’s lovely and nutty tasting, and rather reminds me of bulgur wheat.

Halloumi Freekeh Peach Salad

Ingredients – for 2 dinner salads or 4 starter salads
7 oz or 200g halloumi cheese
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
4 1/2 oz or 130g baby arugula or rocket
1 cup or 160g cooked cracked freekeh, well drained and cooled (More information here. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/freekeh)
3-4 small peaches (Mine were tiny! More like apricot size.) or 1-2 larger peaches
1/4 cup or 40g spicy cashews or your favorite nut
8-10 mint leaves, sliced thinly
Chili Peach Vinaigrette or your favorite sweet, tart and spicy dressing.

Method
Cut the halloumi into slices about 1/4 in or 1/2cm thick. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium high heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Pan-fry the halloumi just a minute or two on each side until both are golden.

Set aside. Pit and slice your peaches into wedges.

Assemble the salad starting with the arugula and top with the freekeh. Add in the golden halloumi broken roughly into bite-sized pieces, the sliced peaches and the cashews.

Stack the mint leaves one on top the other and slice thinly. Sprinkle over the salad.

Tip: This salad is great as leftovers if you haven’t added the dressing so I suggest that if you think you might not eat it all the day you make it, dress each serving, rather than dressing and tossing the entire salad.

Drizzle with chili peach vinaigrette or your favorite dressing.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to this month's Foodie Extravaganza host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all of our peach recipes!

• Halloumi Freekeh Peach Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Honey Peach Ice Cream by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Mini Peaches and Cream French Toast Casserole by Cookaholic Wife
• Peach and Orange Smoothie by Sneha's Recipe
• Peach BBQ Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peach Crumble Bars by Palatable Pastime
• Peach Panna Cotta by Caroline's Cooking
• Peach Sorbet by Hardly A Goddess
• Peach Tomato Salad with Herb Vinaigrette by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

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Cupboard Tomato Mozzarella Salad

A beautiful, colorful, delicious salad made with mostly cupboard ingredients plus tomatoes, mozzarella and purple onions. Great for barbecues, buffets and potlucks. It's even better the next day!

I know that is a strange name but I honestly couldn’t think of a better one.  This gorgeous salad is made mostly with ingredients from your kitchen cupboards, with the exception of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and a little onion. And perhaps a bit of chopped basil. But look at the colors!

It’s great for a buffet table or to bring to a potluck because this salad just gets better after it sits a while.  So forgiving, beautiful and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1/4 large purple onion

• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice or vinegar
• 10.5 oz or 300g red grape tomatoes (I used NatureSweet Cherubs.)
• 10.5 oz or 300g yellow grape tomatoes (I used NatureSweet Sunbursts.)
• 1 jar (12 oz or 240g) marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 can (drained weight 6 oz or 170g) pitted black olives
• 1 can (15 oz or 425g) chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• 8 oz or 226g fresh ciliegine or cherry size mozzarella balls
• 1 can (14 oz or 400g – 7.5 oz or 212g drained) hearts of palm
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• A few leaves of fresh basil (optional)

Method
Slice your onion very thinly and add to a salad bowl that will be big enough for all of your ingredients.   Pour in the juice or vinegar and set aside for a few minutes.

Open the jar of marinated artichokes and add them to the onion, with all of their marinade, along with the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Drain the cans of olives and chickpeas, rinsing the chickpeas if necessary, and add them to the salad bowl.

Drain the can of palm hearts and cut into pieces about the size of your tomatoes.

Add them into the bowl.

Toss and then sprinkle the whole bowl with sea salt.  Add black pepper to taste.

If you are adding basil, stack the leaves, roll them up and slice them thinly.  Add to the salad and toss again.  (This salad did actually have basil but, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to photograph that step.)

Bring to your sister’s house for a barbecue or wherever you have been fortunate enough to be invited.

Enjoy!

My mom took this one showing a little of the basil.  Thanks, Mom! 

If you are looking for more dishes using fresh tomatoes, you are going to love this week's Sunday Supper. Check out the link list below to see what our talented tastemakers are sharing. Many thanks to our host, Rini from Healing Tomato, and our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections.

Sunday Supper Recipes Using Fresh Tomatoes

Chicken Recipes

• Caprese Chicken with Bacon by Family Around The Table
• Cheesy Caprese Pesto Chicken and Quinoa Casserole by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Easy Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes by Life Tastes Good
• Grilled Chicken and Pasta with Grated Tomato Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Main Courses

• Bronzed Tomato Spinach Cheddar Panini by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Ground Beef Curry by Wholistic Woman
• Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry by Sunday Supper Movement
• One Pan Pork Chop Dinner with Tomatoes by Simple and Savory
• Tuna and Tomato Bento by Ninja Baker

Pizza, Pies, and Pastas

• Angel Hair Pomodoro by Healing Tomato
• Heirloom Tomato Tart by Authentically Candace
• Pressure Canned Homegrown Tomato Sauce by What Smells So Good?
• Savory Tomato Pie with Pre-Made Crust by The Foodie Affair
• Three Cheese Tomato Basil Pie by Jersey Girl Cooks
• Tomato and Caramelized Onions Galette by Brunch-n-Bites
• Tuscan Pasta with White Beans and Tomatoes by A Mind “Full” Mom

Side Dishes

• Bacon Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms by Crazed Mom
• Bloody Mary Mix by Our Good Life
• Bruschetta di Pomodoro by The Freshman Cook
• Caprese Garlic Bread with Arugula Pesto by The Crumby Cupcake
• Slow Roasted Tomatoes by Caroline’s Cooking
• Tomato Cauliflower Rice by Family Foodie
• Tomato Tulips for a Veggie Platter by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Snacks

• Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Green Tomato Strawberry Jalapeno Jam by Soulfully Made
• How to Make Homemade Salsa by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• IPA (India Pale Ale) Green Tomato Pickles by Gourmet Everyday
• Italian Nachos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Marinated Cherry Tomatoes with Cottage Cheese by Cricket’s Confections
• Tomatoes Stuffed with Apple-Walnut Salad Filling by Asian In America
• Tropical Fruit Salsa by Pies and Plots

Soups and Salads

• 10 Minute Greek Inspired Couscous Salad by Sprinkles and Sprouts
• Burrata Caprese Salad with Balsamic Pearls by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad by Shockingly Delicious
• Cupboard Tomato Mozzarella Salad by Food Lust People Love
• Fresh Tomato and Couscous Salad by Basic N Delicious
• Fried Green Tomato BLT Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Rustic Dill Tomato Soup by Hot Eats and Cool Reads
• Summer Tomato and Bread Soup by Monica’s Table
• Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Pimento Grilled Cheese by Bottom Left of the Mitten

Black-eyed Pea Salad - Saladu Ñebbe #FoodieExtravaganza

This hearty black-eyed pea salad is full of good stuff but what makes it so tasty is the fresh lime juice and the hit of heat from the habanero pepper. I cautiously only put one pepper in this time. Next time I’m adding more!

Last weekend my husband and I did a massive clear out of all three of our freezers. The normal-size kitchen one, the even smaller one on top the beer fridge and the more capacious deep freezer. We hauled everything out and put it back in some sort of order. Frozen homemade sauces together. Poultry and beef on another shelf. Seafood on one side and the bottom drawer? It’s filled with pork products. The Great Freezer Cleaning also revealed a bag of dried black-eyes peas. It seemed like an omen.

This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is sharing heart healthy recipes. Beans and vegetables are probably two of the most heart healthy things you can eat, unless you are cooking those beans with smoked sausage. (My favorite way!) Even so, I like to think that the fiber and nutrition in beans outweighs the fat in the sausage. After all, sausage is also seasoning and you wouldn’t necessarily get a piece in each bite.

But beans are also great in salad, like this one of Senegalese origin, called Saladu Ñebbe or Salatu Ñebbe in the original language. There are several recipes in English online but they all seem to come from the same source, an article in Saveur magazine. Switching to French for my search, salade niébé, did turn up a few more. Whatever you call it, I’ll be making it again. I served it with seared tuna steaks, a delicious accompaniment.

Depending on which website or cookbook you consult black-eyed peas either don’t need to be soaked or they do. I treat them as I do all other beans. If I am not cooking them in a pressure cooker, I soak them overnight, if I have the time, or I quick soak them in boiling water for one hour, before cooking. Whichever method you choose, you are going to need about 2 1/2 cups or 400g cooked black-eyed peas for this recipe. One cup of dried peas should yield about that right amount.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups or 400g cooked black-eyed peas (1 cup or 200g dried black-eyed peas, boiled and drained – you can substitute canned peas. Rinse and drain them well.)
1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile
3 large green onions
2 small cloves garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 yellow bell pepper
250g cherry or grape tomatoes
1 medium cucumber
1 small bunch parsley
6 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional for serving: salad greens

Method
Mince your habanero pepper and the garlic. Trim off the roots and slice the white part of your onion tops. In a large bowl, mix the three with the lime juice and set aside to marinate, with about a half teaspoon of salt.

This has a two-fold effect. First of all, it takes mellows the flavors of the raw garlic, onion and the habanero. Secondly, it makes sure that those flavors will be infused in the dressing.

Cut your cherry tomatoes into quarters. Seed, stem and chop the bell pepper.

Chop the green part of the onion tops and the parsley.

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise then in half again. Use a sharp knife to remove the seeds, then cut the cucumber into small pieces.

Add the olive oil into the salad bowl and mix well with a fork.

Pile in the black-eyed peas. Stir well to coat.

Add in the chopped vegetables and herbs. Mix well.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. This salad can, of course, be eaten immediately but, unlike most salads, it gets better and better as it hangs out in the refrigerator.

If not serving right away cover with cling film and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve to it’s not super chilled. Stir well.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our Foodie Extravaganza host this month, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Do check out the link list of all of our other heart-healthy recipes!

• 5-Way Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Squash Boats from Palatable Pastime
• Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bake from Cookaholic Wife
• Baked Oatmeal from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Black-eyed Pea Salad - Saladu Ñebbe from Food Lust People Love
• Cranberry Nut Muffins from Hardly A Goddess
• Easy Breakfast Oatmeal from Basic N Delicious
• Farmer's Salad from Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Fruity Chewy Granola Bars from Caroline's Cooking
• Fruity Custard from Sneha's Recipe
• Heart Beet Smoothie from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Moroccan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Vegetarian Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps from cookinandcraftin

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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