Memorial Day Weekend is known as the unofficial kickoff to summer! This means weekends full of ball games and family picnics. No summer potluck or picnic can be complete without a great salad. One of my favorites has always been Pea Salad. My grandma makes the best pea salad ever created! Every family gathering is sure to have a huge bowl of her fabulous Pea Salad and is always emptied by the end of the meal. I’m always crossing my fingers that there is a little left so I can take home some leftovers for the rest of the week…if it makes it that long 🙂

The drawback to these delicious salads is that, even though they are usually full of vegetables, they are also loaded with calories and fat. I’ve taken my grandma’s traditional recipe and put a little twist on it to make it a little more figure friendly. Not only is this recipe delicious, its VERY simple! Perfect for that weekend gathering you’re preparing for…

 Pea Salad

Delicious, like Grandma’s, without the guilt!

2 – 15 oz cans Peas, drained

8 oz Large Elbow Noodles, cooked and drained

10 slices Turkey Bacon, cooked and crumbled (I use the pre-cooked bacon to make this even easier!)

8 oz block Reduced Fat Colby Jack Cheese, cubed

1 cup Celery, sliced

4 Green Onions, sliced

1 cup Cashews, chopped

½ cup Plain Greek Yogurt

½ cup Fat Free Mayonnaise

Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain, and let cool. You can speed this up by keeping them in the colander after you’ve drained them and running cold water over them. If you are using regular turkey bacon, this would be a good time to cook the bacon on the stove top. If you are using the precooked, like I do, you can skip this step and just crumble the bacon straight into the bowl with the other ingredients!

2. In a large bowl, combine peas, noodles, bacon, cheese, celery, onions, and cashews.

3. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt and mayo.  Add yogurt and mayo mixture to other ingredients and stir until combined.

4. Add pepper to taste, cover, and chill until serving.

Serves a crowd

Simple and delicious like my grandma’s without any guilt!

Enjoy!