New Year's Day - Black-Eyed Peas

     How many of you eat black-eyed peas, a symbol of prosperity, for the new year?  It is a family tradition for us.  Each year I've tried a new recipe and it isn't always easy to find one that is meat-free.  This one I found in a recent parade magazine in an article about Katie Lee from The Early Show.  It was easy to make and tasted great. 

Hoppin' John

serves: 6

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 15-oz cans of black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
Cooked rice
Shredded white cheddar
Hot sauce (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic.  Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. 
2. Stir in black-eyed peas, broth, salt, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low; cook 10 minutes.  Stir in green onions and parsley.
3. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with cheese and hot sauce.

   My Tweaks:  I soaked a bag of black-eyed peas from the bag instead of using cans.  Like lentils, they are easy to soak and cook.  I did not add green onions and I used parsley instead of cilantro (flat leaf  parsley)  only because I had parsley from another recipe.  I didn't add parsley to the recipe but put it on the table as a "condiment" so my kids could add it if they chose.  Same with the cheese as Groovy Girl is not a cheese lover.  I used brown rice and my husband and I added hot sauce to our bowls, which added just the perfect amount of spice. 

Cheers to prosperity in 2011.

Teenage Boy said "why do we keep eating black-eyed peas for dinner?-it hasn't worked yet."  This led to an interesting discussion of how many different ways prosperity appears in our lives if not in cash form! 
Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and I'm late in posting because I took a three hour nap after church.  It felt great and must be my way of shoving my head into the sand as my holiday break comes to a close.  Tomorrow it's off to work we go! 
This is what comes up when you google the peas...