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!

Collard Greens in Phyllo, Avocado Shooters and Parsnip Fries

I grew up eating collards. I know people who turn up their nose at anything remotely spinachy looking. Not me. Must be a Southern thing.

However, I bet that even if you are one of those that shudder at the thought of dark green leafy things, you will like these.

Collard Greens in Phyllo

One bunch of fresh collards
One shallot
Olive oil
One elephant garlic clove
1-1/2 t. balsamic vinegar
Phyllo dough sheets, thawed
One pear, sliced thin

Tear the collards from the stem and compost the stems. Add the collards, shallot and garlic to a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped. Saute this mixture in olive oil until tender. Stir in the vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Coat a cookie sheet with a cooking spray. Lay out a sheet of the phyllo and brush with olive oil. Top with another sheet and brush with olive oil again. Do this a third time. Spoon a heaping spoonful of the collards mixture in one corner of the stacked and oiled phyllo sheets. Top with a slice of pear. Begin folding in a triangle until all of the phyllo has been used. Lay this triangle on the cookie sheet, and begin the process again until you have used up all of the collards mixture. I got about five. Brush these triangles with more olive oil.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Avocado Shooters

2 cloves of garlic
One jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
2 T. lime juice
1/2 t. hot sauce
2 c. plain rice or soy milk
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
1/4 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped

Add everything but the olive oil and onion to a blender and blend on high until everything is smooth.
In a skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil until softened. Add the avocado puree to the onions and gently simmer until it is heated through. Serve in shot glasses with a dollop of vegan sour cream on top.

For those of us who love guacamole, this is like hot guacamole, sipped instead of scooped.

Parsnip Fries

3-4 parsnips
Olive oil
1/2 T. ground coriander
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. ground turmeric
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Using a potato peeler, shave off strips of parsnip lengthwise. In a ziploc baggie, add the parsnip strips, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Massage the parsnip strips to coat well. Bake for 10 minutes at 400.
Combine the spices and sprinkle on the parsnips strips. Continue to bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to make sure everything again is well coated.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

With fall days slowly moving in, the desire for soup increases. There is something that says *all is well* about a homemade soup.

Cauliflower Potato Soup

One onion, sliced
Five potatoes, cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
One head of cauliflower, cut into florets
One bunch of collard greens, center rib removed and leaves chopped
4 c. vegetable broth

Add all of the ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer about 30 minutes. When potatoes and carrots and fork tender, it's done. Serve with a generous splash of Bragg's Aminos and buttered bread. 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!

Emerald Isle Pot Pie

I don't think there is anything easier to throw together for supper when you use premade pie crusts. Add the ingredients and pop it in the oven and voila! Supper!

Emerald Isle Pot Pie

Premade frozen double crust
Any vegetables you like, chopped
Vegetable broth
Olive oil

Saute the chopped vegetables in the olive oil until softened. Add a little vegetable broth to moisten. Add sauteed vegetables to the pie crust and top with second pie crust. Poke a few holes with a fork on the top crust. Place pot pie on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden. Enjoy!

 The veggies I used were onion, cabbage, potatoes, green pepper, green onions, collards. Throw in some herbs like dill, thyme, sage or any you love. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This is one of the most versatile dishes you can ever make! I made mine for with lots of greens to celebrate my Irish heritage.

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!

Winter Minestrone

The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Terri Guillemets

Where I live, the summers can be unbearable. We don't get snow, and, on the rare occasion it flurries, people will rush outside to stare in wonder, attempting to create a snowball out of the slushy stuff. What the heck, I do it, too, despite having spent my childhood and a small portion of my adulthood living in states where the weather was described by locals as *Winter and July*. I don't miss the snow much, but have to admit that new layer of white on the ground can be breathtakingly beautiful!

Despite the fact that where I live now, we can sometimes be found wearing shorts in the winter, those days that dip toward freezing invite a fire in the fireplace, curling up with nice hot cuppa and a good book, and something warm and yummy for the tummy.

Winter Minestrone

Olive oil
One onion, chopped
One large carrot, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
One turnip, peeled and diced
One rutabaga, peeled and diced
One bunch collards, rolled and sliced
Two cans diced tomatoes
One can garbanzo beans, drained
One can kidney beans, drained
One quart water
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, carrot, celery, turnip, rutabaga and collards, until a little softenened and brightly colored. Add the tomatoes and beans. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to simmer about 30 minutes. Season to taste.

This makes a very mild, but filling, soup in a very short time. Serve with a good bread for dipping and enjoy!

Before becoming vegan, I never ate turnips or rutabagas. No reason other than when I was eating a meat-based diet, there was little variety. We tended to stick to the tried and true, rather than seek out new and different foods to experience. Now I look for things I haven't tried. It has been like a new world of food has opened up to me! Sad, really, to make that realization. I watch non-vegans now, and how they are so hesitant to try new things. I don't mean exotic foods, I'm talking vegetables, like okra or turnips or fennel or eggplant. As for me and mine, we savor each new dish, each new ingredient, finding varieties of ways to use them - and are having a blast doing it! Cooking has once again become an adventure, and never a chore.

A "true" root vegetable should meet two conditions: grow underground and play the role of a root for the plant, absorbing moisture and nutrients from the ground. The following vegetables are examples of true root vegetables: carrots, horseradish, radishes, rutabagas, parsnips, salsify, and turnips. They are actually the taproot of the plant, which is formed from the very first root that the seed put out.

Generally, though, the term is used for any underground part of a plant that we eat. Even though onions and leeks are both related, we would call an onion a root vegetable but not a leek, as leeks grow aboveground.

Root vegetables have never been very fashionable. Throughout history, they were largely seen as peasant food.

Before there was agriculture, there was the turnip. That’s how old the turnip is. Turnips were cultivated some 5,000 years ago and may have been eaten as long as 5,000 years before that. Turnips were as important to the Romans as potatoes were to the Incas. Believe it or not, the venerable tradition of the “Jack o’ Lantern” started out with turnips, not pumpkins.

All turnips have a snowy white flesh. The differences in varieties mostly involve outside coloring and size. Some have reddish rings around the crown of the vegetable, others purple. Flavors are essentially the same although larger turnips (3 or more inches in diameter) which appear later in the winter tend to be more pungent than the smaller (11/2 to 2 inches) turnips that appear earlier in the season. Major turnip varieties include Purple top, White Globe, White Egg, Golden Ball, Amber and Yellow Amberdeen.

A 3.5 ounce serving (100 grams) of turnips has 30 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram each of protein and dietary fiber, 60% of the Daily Values (formerly the RDA) for vitamin C, 2% for iron and 3% for calcium. Turnips are also a fair source of potassium and folic acid.

The history of the rutabaga is much shorter, but a little livelier! In the early part of the 17th century, Swiss botanist Casper Bauhin crossed a cabbage with a turnip and got a rutabaga, sometimes called a yellow turnip. It became popular in northern Europe and, in fact, derives its name from the Swedish rotabagge. (Rutabagas are sometimes called swedes.) Rutabagas were adopted by the British in the early 1800s as economical cannonballs. Although they did not pack the same explosive force as cannonballs they made quite an impression. This practice was discontinued when the Brits noticed their foes cooking the spent rutabagas in their soups.

 
Instead of white flesh, rutabagas have a yellow-orange flesh that, like yellow-flesh potatoes, give an impression of richness or butteriness. They’re also sweeter and denser than turnips with less moisture. On the outside rutabagas are half yellow-orange, while the other half is burgundy or purple. To increase their shelf life, most rutabagas are waxed. Commercially available rutabagas tend to be larger than turnips. The three main rutabaga varieties are American Purple Top, Laurentian and the Thomson Strain of the Laurentian.

A 100 gram serving of rutabagas contains 46 calories, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram each of dietary fiber and protein, 11% of the DV for vitamin A, 43% for vitamin C, 6% for calcium and a small amount of iron. Rutabagas are also a decent source of potassium and folic acid.

The major turnip and rutabaga producing states are California, Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington. A significant amount of both is imported from Canada.
Both rutabagas and turnips are members of the mustard family. The good news is that because turnips and rutabagas are in the same family as cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables, they have many of the same health benefits, particularly as cancer fighters.

So do be sure to try turnips or rutabagas, and this minestrone is an easy way to do it!