Creamy Purple Hull Pea and Grape Tomato Salad

Tonight, I'm making the Grilled Eggplant Muffuletta one more time. I have some dried cannellini beans in the pantry which I planned to cook up and use in a salad, but when I went to the grocery store, they had the season's first purple hull peas and I couldn't resist throwing a pound in my basket. To go with the tiny fresh peas, I picked up the smallest tomatoes I could find. My cannellini salad was going to have an Italian-style vinaigrette, but I thought a creamy Southern-style dressing was more appropriate here. I made fresh mayo, similar to the one from this curried potato salad from last summer, but this time seasoned with a generous dollop of Dijon mustard.

From the background picture, you can see I went a little bit overboard buying fruit, too. (That's what summer is for!) I'll probably be making some pineapple salsa early in the week and pineapple sorbet to finish it out. And I'm thinking that I might turn any uneaten watermelon into juice and serve it with some vodka. 

This is another entry for  My Legume Love Affair, hosted this month by Valerie of A Canadian Foodie.

Creamy Purple Hull Pea and Grape Tomato Salad

To cook fresh peas, rinse and transfer to a pot. Add just enough water to cover. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes until desired tenderness. I pound will yield3 to 3-1/2 cups.

2 cups cooked purple hull peas (or black-eyed peas)

1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/3 cup sliced red onion

Dressing:

For the soy milk I used Better than Milk powder and mixed it double strength.

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup soy milk or creamer, the thicker the better

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Whizz together the oil, soy milk, sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard in the blender. Remove the center piece from the jar lid. With the blender running, drizzle  the lemon juice into the dressing a little at a time. Puree until the mixture thickens slightly.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.