Welcome 2010 – with some spice

Since moving to the South, I’ve adopted the local tradition of serving black-eyed peas for New Year’s to bring prosperity and good luck. The combination of green chilies with the peas give this dish a spicy zip. Garnish with cilantro and a dash of cayenne pepper for added southwestern flair.

Southwestern Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 6 cups water
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (crushed)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (crushed)
• 1 (26 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, with juice (do NOT drain)
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, with juice (do NOT drain)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Prepare beans by either presoaking overnight, or, boil beans for 2 minutes and then remove from heat, cover and let set for 1 hour. Drain peas and leave in a medium pot with a lid.
2. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, combine and sauté onions, with a little water to prevent from scorching. Stir frequently, cooking until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the cooked onion mix and all remaining ingredients to the black eyed-peas and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until peas are soft.

Serve as a side dish or appetizer.

Photo credit:  www.localharvest.org

Best for a happy and healthy new year.

Enjoyed this post? See these:

1. Thrifty Thursday – Barley Soup Recipe
2. Beef Barley Soup – a perfect winter meal
3. Wine Wednesday – Easy Split Pea Soup

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Tags: black-eyed pea recipe, black-eyed peas, southern new year's tradition

This entry was posted on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 4:35 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.