Lucky Black-eyed Pea Salad

Delicious! I used arugula instead of watercress. Be sure not to overcook the peas. This held up well in the fridge overnight and would be a good potluck dish since there's no mayo to spoil.

I made for New Years Day. There was no watercress in the grocery store, so I substituted 2 stalks of celery diced. It added a nice crunch. I wasn't sure about the peaches, but everyone liked the dimension the peach added to the recipe.

This was great! It was part of a summertime "Southern" appetizer buffet, including cornmeal crusted chicken tenderloins, deviled eggs and watermelon. Guests could not stop raving about it, went back for seconds and thirds, and the whole thing was completely gone fairly quickly. I made this after attempting another black-eyed pea salad that was swimming in oil. I rinsed everything thoroughly, and started over re-using the peas, chopped regular white onions and chopped celery that were already mixed together. I think the red onion would be even prettier, but the final taste was not a disappointment. (I am not sure I used the whole two cups of watercress, and to be honest, I really wasn't sure how to tear it--it is all stems with just leaves at the top; I used mostly the top halves of one whole bunch that was sold growing out of a little piece of sod.) This combination of flavors was so fresh and complex. I will make it again and again. Great cool salad for a hot day!