This filling vegetarian dish comes together in less than 30 minutes. Texas caviar, the classic combo of black-eyed peas, peppers, cilantro, and scallions, inspired this zesty main dish salad. Black-eyed peas have been a favorite legume in the south for generations. The traditional method of serving is to boil them with ham hocks or bacon and serve with cornbread. In recent years, black-eyed peas have found their way into hummus dips, southern caviars, and healthier dishes, such as this grain salad, which uses bulghur wheat, an ancient grain. The beauty of many of the popular ancient grains, such as quinoa, couscous and bulghur, is they can add a heartiness and texture to many dishes without adding weight or bulk. Made from cracked wheat, bulgur wheat is often cooked like rice and is the perfect addition to stews, pilafs, salads, and vegetarian burgers. Bulgur wheat is a whole-wheat grain that has been cracked and partially pre-cooked, therefore making it quick to prepare at home. As a whole grain, it's naturally high-fiber, low-fat, low-calorie, vegetarian and even vegan. This dish comes in under 500 calories. Have fun and experiment with different ancient grains and see how they can add a new spin to your daily meals.
