Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Swiss Chard

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Swiss Chard

1/10/13

Makes about 8 servings

Prep time 20 minutes

Cooking time 90 minutes

Hoppin’ John is dish of black-eyed peas and rice from the southern United States traditionally served on New Years Day to bring good luck during the New Year. It is thought to eat this dish on New Year’s Day will bring you prosperous year filled with luck.

The black-eyed peas are symbolic of pennies or coins and a dime is sometimes thrown into the cooking pot. Hoppin’ John is traditionally served with cooked greens like collards or mustards. This bright green food is symbolic of money, further adding to your wealth in the New Year!

On the day after New Year’s Day, leftover Hoppin’ John is called Skippin’ Jenny.

My black-eyed pea stew is perfect on a cold wintery night. It incorporates the greens right into the stew. It’s not a quick weeknight meal, but one I put on the stove in the late afternoon on a day-off. The savory, spicy and sweet flavors all compliment each other. It’s delicious served over my garlicky-cheesy grits, brown rice, quinoa or with a side of cornbread.

“Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year!” Here’s to a prosperous 2013 for all of us!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried smoked paprika

1 tsp sea salt

pinch of dried chipotle chili powder

pinch of black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped

2 large swiss chard leaves, stems removed and finely chopped, leaves sliced into fine ribbons

1 cup dried black-eyed peas

28oz can chopped tomatoes

5-6 cups water

1 vegan sea salt & herb bouillon cube

1 tsp prepared Dijon mustard

1 tsp agave syrup

Optional: 6 vegetarian breakfast “sausages”, sliced into chunks 

1. In a large pot warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until browning, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Add the basil, thyme, paprika, chipotle, salt & pepper. Stir and cook with onions for a few minutes until aromatic.

3. Add the garlic, celery, carrot, fennel, swiss chard stems, black-eyed peas, tomatoes and stir until mixed.

4. Add the water, bouillon, mustard and agave. Cover with lid and bring to a boil.

5. Once boil, reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

6. After one hour add the swiss chard leaves and optional sausage. Let cook for 5 minutes.

7. Taste and check spices. Adjust with more basil and salt as needed for your preference.

8. Serve over grits, rice or quinoa. Or with a side of cornbread. 

Beet & Grapefruit Salad with Black-Eyed Peas

My friend Catherine came to dinner and I wanted to create something really special for her that was vegan, gluten-free, and completely delicious. She loved it so much I'm going to name this recipe "Catherine's Salad." I just love beets--everything about them. The color, the earthy & sweet flavor, the dirt. Everything! The colors in this salad are beautiful and it's ingredients are substantial enough to serve it as a main course. It's combination of veggies and fruit is sweet, tangy and sour. The dressing is a combo of raspberry, mustard and balsamic vinegar. It's companions at dinner were coriander roasted yams and asparagus with chevre. It was a divine dinner. Enjoy the recipe!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Beet & Grapefruit Salad with Black-Eyed Peas
aka "Catherine's Salad"
Serves 4

1 cup dried black-eyed peas
water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried rosemary
4 beets, rinsed & tops removed
1 tbsp sugar-free 100% fruit raspberry preserves
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp + 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
sea salt & black pepper
4 cups mixed greens, washed & dried
1 red grapefruit, peeled, and segments skinned into small pieces
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced

1. Rinse the black-eyed peas and remove any grit. Place in a large pot, add bay leaf, dried rosemary, and cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer until black-eyed peas are cooked, but not mushy. Approximately 40 minutes. Drain & set aside.
2. While black-eyed peas are cooking, remove tops from the beets and rinse. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer until beets are tender all the way through when pierced with a fork. Once cooked, remove from heat, drain water, rinse and let soak in fresh cool water for a few minutes. Once beets are cool to the touch, pull the skins off with your fingers. They should easily fall off. Cut the beets in half and thinly slice each half. Put slices in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar plus a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Set aside.
3. Once the black-eyed peas are cool begin the dressing. In a small bowl combine the raspberry preserves, Dijon mustard, olive oil, remaining 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper to your desired taste. Stir with whisk until well mixed. Combine the dressing and the black-eyed peas until combined.
4. Divide the salad greens among 4 plates. Divide the black-eyed peas into 4 portions and add to the top of the lettuce on each plate. Divide the beets and arrange on top of the black-eyed peas on each plate. Divide the grapefruit pieces and arrange on top of the beets on each plate. Divide the avocado slices and arrange on the top of salads.

Creole Spiced Black Eyed Peas with Root Vegetables & Mustard Greens

Hi friends!

Happy Weekend to you! Let's get right down to it. I love black-eyed peas. They are tasty, super nutritious, and economical. I bought 1 pound, roughly 2 cups, out of the bulk bin and it cost me .82 cents! Very nice for our budget conscious shopper. I like black-eyed peas in soup, in a yummy mango salad and in this stew-type recipe with lots of veggies. I love both the sweet and spicy flavors of this dish. The mustard greens add a nice tangy bite. I serve this dish over cornbread with the juices dripping all through the cornbread. You could also serve it over brown rice or quinoa. You could substitute collards, chard or kale for the mustards. Oh and don't forget the Sweet Tea! Enjoy!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Post Script: What's interesting is I wrote this blog post on 1/21/10 and then 5 days later in the Jan 26th 2010 Oregonian Food Day there was an article about adding greens to bean dishes. I think they stole my idea! Clearly I'm ahead of the foodie trends! Ha-Ha! Check out their article on greens in bean dishes and their article on cooking with dried beans.

Creole Spiced Black-Eyed Peas with Root Vegetables & Mustard Greens
Makes 5-6 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled & diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
4 carrots, cleaned & sliced
4 stalks celery, cleaned & sliced
1 turnip, peeled & diced
1 parsnip, peeled & sliced
1 yam, peeled & diced
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried mustard
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry black eyed peas
water
1 tsp prepared Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
salt & pepper
1 bunch mustard greens, washed, stemmed & chopped

1. In a stock pot heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes
3. Add the basil, thyme & dry mustard. Stir well. Cook for another minute until the spices are fragrant.
4. Add the black eyed peas and bay leaves to the pot. Add enough water to cover the mixture. About 3 cups. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium and let simmer.
5. Simmer for about 45-60 minutes. You want the beans to be fully cooked, but still firm and not mushy. Most of the water should be absorbed.
6. Turn off heat. Add the honey and the prepared mustard. Stir until mixed. Add salt & pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings and add more basil & thyme if needed.
7. Add the mustard greens to the pot and stir until combined. Remove pot from the heat. You want the mustard greens to be slightly wilted but still bright green and slightly crunchy.
8. Serve over cornbread or brown rice. Both absorb the juices of this dish and are a great compliment!

Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams

Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams
Recipe inspired by "Delicious Big Bowl-Quinoa Recipe" on 101 cookbooks

Last spring I discovered a simple, delicious, seasonal recipe for quinoa, potatoes and asparagus on Heidi Swanson's 101 cookbooks website. At that time local asparagus was in season and I enjoyed this recipe on several occasions. I was also inspired to create quinoa big bowls with different seasonal produce throughout the year. Thank you Heidi! Quinoa big bowls are another great way to get creative with what you have in your refrigerator or garden or what seasonal veggies are looking good to you at your market. Last week my big bowl involved a bag of organic baby spinach, a can of black-eyed peas and a lonely garnet yam.

In case you are unfamiliar with quinoa, it is a small seed that looks kind of like millet and is often mistakenly called a cereal or grain. Quinoa is not a true cereal because it's not a grass. It is actually a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and followed in third place by maize. In contemporary times this crop has come to be highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one's needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. (Info gathered from various sources including wikipedia and my studies at the Australasian College of Health Sciences.)

Now that you know Quinoa is really a SUPER FOOD, here's the recipe!
In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams

about 4 servings

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 organic garnet yam, peeled and diced

organic extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves organic garlic, peeled and minced

1 bag or bunch of organic spinach

1 cup cooked organic black-eyed peas

sea salt & black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Rinse well the quinoa is a wire mesh strainer (fine enough that the quinoa grains don't fall out).

3. Warm a tbsp of olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the quinoa and toast for about 5 minutes. Add the water and cover the pot. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Once quinoa is cooked, leave the lid on pot and set aside.

4. While the quinoa is cooking place the diced yam on a cookie sheet with a splash of olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the pieces are soft and slightly crisp.

5. In a skillet warm about 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and lightly brown for a few minutes. Next add the spinach and cover the pan. Let cook for about 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Remove from heat.

6. In each serving bowl combine a portion of the quinoa, roasted yam, garlic spinach, and black-eyed peas. Devour.