Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

Here's that great recipe I told you I'd post yesterday. My sis-in-law made this for Super J's birthday after enjoying it at a 4th of July BBQ (she hunted down the recipe from the lady who made it and we will forever be grateful. :) ). It's based off of a recipe from (yes! You know where) Allrecipes.com. I made it tonight and followed her directions (because of course the 4th of July lady's recipe had a bit of variation to it) and it's currently chilling. I probably should have headed some unread advice and added only half of the Italian Seasoning (aren't you intrigued now???), but I'll update and let you know how salty it is or isn't.

UPDATE: After chilling for 2 hours, I didn't find it too salty at all. It tasted just fine. If it *does* seem salty, it will be because a) the salsa you use has lots of salt in it and/or b) your tastes do not require the whole packet of Italian seasoning dressing.

Enjoy!

Here's the recipe:

Black-Eyed Pea Salsa (with helpful hints from Deb)

INGREDIENTS
1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 ounce) can white corn, drained
1 1/3 cups medium salsa (know your audience. We served this to kids so Deb used Mild salsa and used pretty much the whole jar)
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (2.25 ounce) can chopped ripe olives, drained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped** (OR use 1 TBSP of the canned stuff and spare your eyes)
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix (use half-ish of the packet...depends on your salt tastes)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can Rotel (tomato and green chili...you can use mild or medium...again, know your audience)
Cilantro (used about half a big bunch)
Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, combine the first 14 ingredients.
2. Chill for 2+ hours
3. Serve with tortilla chips.

**When cutting or seeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face. (Super J's sister is an optometrist. She's the one who recommended the canned jalapenos because she says she see loads of patients come in because they've touched their eyes with pepper oils still on them. Full disclosure from Miss L: I goofed and got green chili's instead of Jalapenos and it turned out just fine.)

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1/4 cup salsa, calculated without chips) equals 58 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 411 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 starch.