Black Eyed Peas and Beer Brat Soup in the Instant Pot

I finally got an Instant Pot. I'd been wanting one and kept looking at them every time I went to a store that sells them. "One of these days," I kept telling myself. One of those days finally arrived a few months ago. Then the inevitable where it sat while I stared at it for awhile, uncertain how to proceed. My son is braver. He got one months before I did, and his sat unopened in his dining room. We both decided to brave it. He went first.

Black Eyed Peas and Beer Brat Soup

2 c. dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight
One red onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
6 c. vegetable broth
One small can tomato paste
2 t. oregano
One bay leaf
1 t. salt
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
3 T. brown sugar
One package vegan beer brats, sliced
One green bell pepper, chopped

Because this was my first recipe, I didn't use the saute function, but you can saute the onion and garlic first, if you prefer. Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook at pressure for 5 minutes. When done, release pressure after 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve. Enjoy!

Bean Salad

I always thought bean salads were unappealing. I mean, I like beans and all, but something about bean salads just looked boring. Not this one!

Bean Salad

One can kidney beans, drained
One can pinto beans, drained
One can black-eyed peas, drained
One package frozen lima beans, thawed
One can corn, drained
1/2 an onion, diced
1 t. pepper
1/2 c. Italian dressing

You know the drill: mix everything together in a large bowl, stirring to make sure it's all coated well. Chill or serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

National Lima Bean Respect Day

Today is Lima Bean Respect Day. I grew up eating lima beans, so I love them, but I know some who felt this was torture to eat as a kid. Honestly, I just really like beans and peas of all kinds, so I eat them almost every day.

Black Eyed Peas and Lima Beans

1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
One package frozen lima beans
2 packages frozen black eyed peas
2 t. red wine vinegar
1 c. vegetable broth
1 c. water
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. black pepper
Vegan bacon grease

Saute the green pepper, celery, and onion in the vegan bacon grease in a Dutch oven until softened. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with vegan bacon bits, serve, enjoy!

If you are so inclined (re: daring!) or just love limas, here are several more lima bean recipes for you to try! And, well, because I like black-eyed peas so much, here are a host of black eyed peas recipes, too.

Black Eyed Pea and Collards Soup

Every new year's day I make black eyed peas and collards in some way. Sometimes it is just simply a pot of beans and a pot of collards. This time I decided to switch things up a bit and turn it into a soup. The results were delicious!

Black Eyed Pea and Collards Soup

One package vegan kielbasa sausage, sliced into coins

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. Cajun seasoning

8 cups vegetable broth

One package of dried black-eyed peas

1 bunch of collard greens, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 c. basmati rice

1 t. hot sauce

Soak the peas in enough water to cover overnight. Drain and dump them into a crockpot. Add the onions, garlic, Cajun seasoning and vegetable broth. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Add the collards, rice, and hot sauce. Stir to mix, cover and let cook an additional hour.

Saute the kielbasa in a little bit of olive oil until nicely browned.

Serve the soup in bowls and top with a few coins of the kielbasa. Enjoy!

Southern Chili

In Texas, chili is beef, beef, oh, and, beef. They are very specific here and chili cook-offs are common. I grew up with a different version that my dad makes. Okay, yeah, it has beef in it, too, but it most definitely is not the Texas norm. I have, of course, veganized his version and eat it once or twice during the year. It is a comfort food for me.

One of the biggest benefits of being vegan, that I have found at least, is the huge variety of food my family now eats. I never realized how limited our diet really was when we ate meat. We tended to fall back on the usual fare regularly, mostly out of convenience but always because it was tried and true. Despite my penchant for loving to try new recipes, I still tended to rely on the known, versus the unknown. And this with kids who have never been picky eaters! Sigh.

It pleases me enormously now to cook, and try new foods, or different combinations. It's fun. And it makes cooking such a pleasure! It also helps - a lot! - that I have such enthusiastic and willing to try new things eaters.

This recipe is one of those that takes foods we love and combines them in a different and delicious way.

Southern Chili

Olive oil
One onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One bag frozen collard greens (or fresh, if available)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 T. chili powder
1 t. hot sauce
1-1/2 c. water
2 cans black eyed peas, drained

In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, carrots and garlic in the olive oil until softened. Add the collards, tomatoes, chili powder, hot sauce and water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the black eyed peas and heat through. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Good Luck, Health and Prosperity For The New Year!

It's 2012! I'm so excited! I've been so remiss these last few months in posting anything because my camera died. It was good while it lasted, but it's time had come. Even my phone was older and took less than stellar pictures. December, however, was very good to me. I got a new smart phone with an excellent camera and then the hubby surprised me on Christmas Day with a new digital camera! I'm on cloud nine and ready to get back to posting recipes.

Every year my family begins our new year with with requisite black eyed peas and collards. This year I added to that favorite repertoire by adding red cabbage. It was a hit!

Hopping John

1 lb. bag of dried black eyed peas

5 c. water

One chopped onion

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. hot sauce

2 c. cooked rice

1/2 c. chopped green onions

Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover. In the morning drain and rinse the beans and add them to a crockpot. Add the water, the chopped onion, pepper and hot sauce. A friend of mine introduced me to this product:

Believe it or not, it's vegan! I even wrote to the company to verify it. It does contain MSG, but more on that later. I added two packets to the beans. Cook on low overnight. Before serving, stir in the rice and the green onions.

Red Cabbage

One head of red cabbage, sliced
2 c. water
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/3 c. vegan butter
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
2 Granny Smith apples, sliced and peeled

Combine all but the apples in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes add the apples. Simmer another 30 minutes. Serve.

My collards this year were chopped and frozen. I made them according to the package instructions.

Now about the MSG. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and just about any and everything processed. MSG is produced from seaweed or by a bacterial fermentation process with molasses or starch and ammonium salts. MSG can be processed with an enzymatic process using vegetarian ingredients such a soy or papaya. It is believed that large amounts of MSG may produce some negative physical reactions and many people have strong allergic reaction to products that contain MSG and symptoms after eating products containing it have been headaches, chest pain, numbness, mood changes and depression. The Mayo Clinic states that researchers have found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and these symptoms. Researchers acknowledge, though, that a small percentage of people may have short-term reactions to MSG. Symptoms are usually mild and don't require treatment. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG. My advice? As with all things, moderation is the key. Use sparingly if you do use it, or avoid it if you experience any of these symptoms.

Now, go and enjoy this gift of a new year!

Bean and Potato Bake

My youngest likes beans of any kind. Everyone in my family loves their potatoes. So, this seemed like a logical pairing.

Bean and Potato Bake

2 cans of beans, your choice - I used pinto beans and black eyed peas
Potatoes, sliced thin - I think I used 5-6
Daiya Cheddar shreds

Layer the ingredients in this order - potatoes, beans, cheese, repeat. I did not drain the beans so that the liquid would help in cooking the potatoes. If you cook the potatoes first, you can drain the beans. Bake 350 for about 45 minutes, covered with foil.

I'll be honest. I thought this was ordinary. Boring. My youngest, however, devoured it. I had no leftovers because he had 3 or more servings. A serving size to him means a heaping plate. So I present it here in case you have a kid like mine who will totally love this dish.

Lettuce Wrap

I just had the tastiest lunch, so wanted to type this up before I forget the ingredients!

Lettuce Wrap

Shredded red and green cabbage
Julienned carrots
Cucumber sticks
Few sprigs of cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Thai peanut sauce
Romaine lettuce

Layer cabbage, carrots, cilantro and cucumber sticks on top of the romaine. Pour peanut sauce over the vegetables and sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Roll the entire thing up in the lettuce, burrito style. Enjoy!

I'll need to find a recipe for a peanut sauce now. This was slightly sweet. It was messy to eat, but truly finger lickin' good!

Nothing Medi-Okra About This!

I've been a bit on an okra binge. Fortunately, my family likes okra, so all is well in my household. I saw a quote today about how so few people like okra that it doesn't even make it into the top ten most hated foods list! I think they are missing out!

Creole Peas

One c. diced celery
One c. diced green pepper
One c. diced onion
2 hot peppers, diced
Olive oil
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black eyed peas
One bag frozen sliced okra
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the celery, green pepper, onion and hot peppers in the olive oil until softened. Add tomatoes, black eyed peas with liquid, okra and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer for about 20 minutes.

This is a really flavorful dish. My family will sometimes season their food individually, but none of us found a need to do so with this. I served it over a lemony-dill rice.

Lemon-Dill Rice

Make your choice of rice according to your preferred method. Once done, melt butter with some fresh dill (dried if you can't get your hands on any fresh) and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Pour this over and mix into the rice.

Butter Stewed Carrots

I had some carrots sitting in the crisper drawer, so I pulled them out, peeled and sliced them, then sauteed them in butter and maple syrup. They looked quite lovely next to the peas and rice.

Round it all off with some fresh strawberries and some pineapple slices and enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Today is 1-1-11. Doreen Virtue says the calendar date of 1/1/11 in Angel Numbers means: "Keep your thoughts positive, as this is a gate opening of energy for the fruition and manifestation of your dreams. Only think about what you desire and intend." You can call upon the angel of beauty and beautiful thoughts, Archangel Jophiel, to elevate your thoughts to Love.

What better way to keep your thoughts positive than to go vegan! And one of the best ways to start off your new vegan year is with some Hoppin' John!

Hoppin' John

3 c. cooked rice
1 T. olive oil
dash of Liquid Smoke
One green pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 c. cooked or 3 cans black eyed peas, drained
2 T. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1/2 t. onion powder
2 T. Braggs aminos
10 oz. box frozen chopped collards

Saute green pepper, red onion and black eyed peas in olive oil and Liquid Smoke. Add seasonings and collards. Heat through. Add rice and Braggs. Let heat on low - medium until everything is nicely mixed and hot. Top with some Bacos for a smoky crunch. Serve with some good old fashioned, homemade cornbread. Enjoy!

Throughout the coastal South, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls. Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, kale etc. along with this dish are supposed to also add to the wealth since they are the color of money. On the day after New Year's Day, leftover "Hoppin' John" is called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality, bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year. During the late Middle Ages, there was a tradition of eating beans on New Year's Day for good luck in parts of France and Spain. The European tradition mixed with an African food item to become a New World tradition.

One tradition common in the Southern USA is that each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to assure that the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck (or wealth) that the diner will have in the coming year.

Where does the name come from? There are almost as many theories as to how Hoppin' John got its name as there are ways to cook the dish. One story attributes the name to the custom of inviting guests to eat with, "Hop in, John." Another suggestion is that it is derived from an old ritual on New Year's Day in which the children of the house hopped once around the table before eating the dish. Whatever its origin, it was definitely a staple for many in the early South, and remains an important dish today. Etymologists suggest the name comes from a Caribbean dish of rice and peas and salt pork called (in French) pois a pigeon, which is pronounced something like "pwahahpeejawng." 

The Oxford English Dictionary's first reference to the dish is from Frederick Law Olmsted's 19th century travelogue, A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States. "The greatest luxury with which they are acquainted is a stew of bacon and peas, with red pepper, which they call ‘Hopping John’." There is also a recipe for Hopping John in The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge, which was published in 1847.

One suggestion as to why people eat Hoppin' John on New Years Day is the thought that the black-eyed pea is lucky originated in the Jewish Talmud, and has been believed by some that Jewish settlers in the South spread their beliefs to the locals. Some scholars identify it as a strictly West African dish carried to the colonies by slaves from the Congo.

Whatever the origins of the name or how it came to be associated with New Years Day, the dish quite definately was a staple of the African slaves who populated southern plantations, especially those of the Gulla country of South Carolina. And regardless of who or how or why, it is still an New Years Day tradition for m any, including my family. We eat it every New Years Day and continue to love it and look forward to it!

I hope it becomes a tradition for your family!

Pass the Peas, Please!

As a true GRITS (Girls Raised In The South) kind of gal, I grew up on black eyed peas. I still eat them fairly regularly and always on New Years Day, right along with collard greens. So, naturally, when I came upon this recipe for black-eyes pea fritters, I had to try it!

Black-Eyed Pea Fritters

1 cup dried black-eyed peas, sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed (this is a VERY IMPORTANT part!)
1/2 medium onion, diced (I used a whole onion)
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (I just used a whole green pepper)
1 tablespoon cornmeal
5 cups coconut oil

In a food processor, combine the beans, onion, peanuts, thyme, cayenne, vinegar, water, and salt and pulse until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the batter from the refrigerator, add the bell pepper and cornmeal, and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. In a medium-size saucepan over high heat, warm the coconut oil until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes. Lower the oil to medium high, and in batches of 5, spoon the batter into the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. Fry, stirring around, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. If necessary, adjust the temperature to ensure that the fritters do not cook too quickly. Transfer the fritters to a paper towel–lined plate and allow them to drain.

Now, I have to be honest. The first time I made these, I thought I would be clever and use canned black eyed peas. You know, to save time. What I ended up with was a black eyed pea cornmeal mush. Tasty, but not quite the same. We ate it anyway, but with a spoon instead of a fork. You see, I had neglected to notice the part in the recipe about using dried, UNCOOKED peas. Yeah, that's a pretty important part to this recipe, let me tell you. But the flavor was just so nice I wanted to try again, actually following the directions this time. You can see the result in the picture above. The original recipe suggested serving these with hot pepper sauce, but I didn't.

Black eyed peas are also known as cowpeas. I remember the first time I read that name years ago, it gave me quite a giggle. What I didn't realize at the time was that cowpeas probably originated in Africa and came here with the slaves. They were often known as a "poor man's" food; the landed gentry of the Eastern seaboard considered the cowpea simply that: peas grown to feed the cows. George Washington imported 40 bushels of what he called "pease" from Jamaica in 1797 to plant in his fields for forage, but no record exists that he actually sampled them himself. He would probably be shocked to learn that his cattle, slaves, and sharecroppers not only ate them, but were enjoying such a nutritious diet. OF course, George and his buddies were the same enlightened group who declared the tomato poisonous and unfit for humans, while his poorer, but healthier counterparts were eating those with gusto too! Black eyed peas consist of an average of 24% protein, are rich in the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, and are most nutritious when eaten in combination with cereals. The Southern custom of serving peas with cornbread or rice is a tradition that is actually healthy.


If you have never eaten black eyed peas, you are missing out! Fry up some of these fritters, and you'll see what I mean!