black eyed pea salad with basil dressing

this salad was born of not having a freakin' clue what to make for dinner to go with the skirt steak i thawed, flipping through old issues of food network magazine for inspiration, coming up basically flat, remembering i had a rogue can of black eyed peas in the cabinet from last year when i thought it would be a real nifty idea to serve them on new years day for good luck and then never followed through with that (imagine...), doing some googling, adapting all over town and then, upon first bite, realizing i had completely knocked this one out of the park.
not to toot my own horn or anything, but this is good. really, really good. like, one of the first recipes in my imaginary cookbook good.......so whip a batch up and serve it at your next bbq or bring it to a potluck and thank me later for being a black eyed pea badass....i'm sure it's even better after a day maxin' & relaxin' in the fridge but i challenge you to have the willpower to let it sit around long enough to find out....

basil dressing:

1/4- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup (approximately) chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup (or less. i think i used less but i have a nasty habit of not measuring anything...) good olive oil

(i used this. i love trader joes)

kosher salt & cracked black pepper

salad:

1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 - 2 cups of fresh corn kernals
1-3 stalks of celery, sliced into thin half moons
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
3 thick cut rings of red onion, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt & pepper, then grilled and chopped.

mix the dressing in the bottom of a big bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix. season to taste with more salt & pepper. try not to eat the entire thing in one, glutoneous sitting.