I lost track of who sent me the link to this Hoppin' John Salad from Whole Foods Market, but whoever it was, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

The moment I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. It has all of my favorites: beans, crunchy veggies, and SRIRACHA! This is a super easy, super healthy way to use up the rest of that Thanksgiving ham. If you don't have any holiday ham, you can just go to the deli (like I did) and ask for a single thick slice of ham (black forest, smoked, honey, whatever type). Be sure to tell them you'll be cutting it into cubes for a salad so they'll know about how thick you'll need it.

This recipe was already so perfect that I *barely* adjusted it. I tweaked the ratio of the dressing a smidge and used rice vinegar because I didn't have any white wine vinegar. I also decided to add some golden raisins to complete the sweet-salty-spicy flavor trifecta. I really wanted to use chopped up dried apricots, but I couldn't find any at the store. Luckily, I had some golden raisins in the back of my pantry and they made a suitable substitute :D Green onions would probably also be super good in this!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Spicy Hoppin' John Salad

Adapted from Hoppin' John Salad with Sriracha Vinaigrette from Whole Foods Market.


Total Recipe cost: $7.42
Servings Per Recipe: about 7 (1 cup each)
Cost per serving: $1.06
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
16 oz.	frozen black-eyed peas	$1.63
3 stalks	celery	$0.26
2 medium	carrots	$0.27
1 medium	green bell pepper	$0.89
1/2 pound	thick cut ham	$3.20
1/4 bunch	parsley	$0.19
1/3 cup	golden raisins or dried apricots (optional)	$0.19
3 Tbsp	rice or white wine vinegar	$0.37
3 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.24
2 Tbsp	sriracha hot sauce	$0.16
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
TOTAL		$7.42

STEP 1: Cook the frozen peas according to the package directions (boil for about 10 minutes) and then drain in a colander. Allow the peas to cool as you prepare the rest of the salad.

STEP 2: While the peas are cooking, chop the celery, bell pepper, and ham into small pieces. Peel and grate the carrots (use a large hole cheese grater). Pull the parsley leaves from their stems and chop them roughly. If you're using raisins or apricots, let them soak for about 10 minutes in hot water to plump (cut apricots into raisin sized pieces).

STEP 3: Prepare the dressing by stirring together the olive oil, vinegar, sriracha, and salt.

STEP 4: Add the cooked, drained, and slightly cooled peas to the chopped goods, Drizzle the dressing over top, and stir to coat. If using raisins or apricots, drain off the soaking water and stir them into the salad.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Stir each time just before serving to redistribute the dressing.

Step By Step Photos

You can find black eyed peas in the freezer section. If you can't find them, look for "field peas". These peas/beans are raw, not dried, and still need to be boiled before eating.


Cook the peas according to the package directions - basically add water, bring to a boil, and let boil for about 10 minutes until tender (but not mushy). Afterwards, drain in a colander and let cool while you finish preparing the rest of the salad.


While the peas are cooking, cut the celery, bell pepper, and ham into a small dice (about the size of the peas, maybe slightly larger). Peel then grate the carrots on a large holed cheese grater. Pull the parsley leaves from the stems and then just chop them roughly.


If you're using raisins or apricots, let them soak for about ten minutes in some hot water to plump them up and make them softer. If you're using apricots, chop them into small pieces first.


Combine the oil, vinegar, sriracha, and salt in a bowl...


Stir them together.


Add the drained and cooled peas to the bowl with the chopped goods, then drizzle the dressing over top.


Stir everything together to coat in the dressing. If you're using the raisins or apricots, simply drain off the water and stir them in.


YUMMMMMM

Need a little help with the chopping?

To cut the celery into small pieces, first cut the stalks into workable lengths of about 6 inches. Cut each piece lengthwise into thin strips, then cut crosswise into small pieces.


Bell peppers can be cut in the same manner, but first cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and white parts with you hands. Then, just cut the remaining flesh into strips. The curved edges will be slightly tricky, but it doesn't have to be perfect, so just chop those areas as best as possible.


Peel the carrots and then grate them on a cheese cutter. Just be very, very careful with your finger tips and knuckles. Cheese graters will grate flesh just as easily (or easier) than a carrot!


This is what my thick cut slice of ham looks like. Cut it into pieces about the size of the peas. My pieces were just slightly bigger, but that's okay. You want them about the same size so that everything stirs together easily and so that you'll get a little bit of ham in every bite.


The parsley can just be cut roughly (meaning no particular way). You just want pieces that are smaller than a whole leaf. Pull the leaves off of the stems before you start. If some stems get in there, it's okay because parsley stems are fairly tender and do provide flavor.

And that's that! Enjoy!