Recipe for Southwestern Bean Salad with Black Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Peppers, and Cilantro

At a recent neighborhood party I ran into an old friend, and when she found out I was now a food blogger, she told me enthusiastically about her favorite salad recipe featuring black beans and black-eyed peas. I'd never used black-eyed peas in a salad like this, so I listened carefully, (mentally editing out the canned corn that wasn't South Beach friendly and replacing it with lower-glycemic diced bell peppers.) This salad inspired by her description is exactly the type of dish I love to make when it's hot and you don't want to turn on the stove. I tested the recipe on Ben, (the most adventurous eater of the contractors working on my house), and we agreed one thing that really makes this combination work is cutting the diced red and green bell peppers as small as the beans, so every bite of salad has some crunch and the full blend of flavors. I loved this salad, and if you like black-eyed peas, I'm betting you will too!