Smokey Sweet Black Eyed Peas for Luck and Prosperity in 2019!

Have you heard about the New Year’s tradition of enjoying black-eyed peas as a sign of hope and prosperity for the coming year?

If so, have you made the black-eyed peas as part of your New Year’s celebration?

Chances are you haven’t.

Most people hear this and think how do I make black-eyed peas?
How do I serve them?

Well, it’s super simple and for the most part, it’s just like cooking any other bean.

Although beans always offer the most flavor when they’re cooked from scratch, you may be able to find frozen or canned black-eyed peas in the grocery store.

Of course, if you opt for the pre-cooked option, that may or may not impact your good fortune for the year…..

Just kidding!

It’s up to YOU make this an AMAZING year. No pressure. 😉

Seriously, have fun with this tasty tradition!

Regardless of how they’re prepped, black-eyed peas symbolize coins, while the collard greens they’re often paired with, symbolize dollar bills. Some people serve cornbread on the side and say it represents gold. Personally, I skip the cornbread and go with an oil-free, dairy-free polenta instead.

So make up a big bowl of Smokey Black-Eyed Peas, collard greens, and creamy polenta for a healthy and wealthy start to a plant-powered year!!!

Smokey Sweet Black Eyed Peas

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes about 4 cups | Ready in 20 minutes | Stores 1 week in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz red onion, diced (about 1 medium)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups water
• 1½ cups uncooked black-eyed peas
• 1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes, no salt added
• ½ cup diced sun-dried tomatoes, no salt added
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ tablespoon lime juice
• ¼ cup diced fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Add onion and garlic an electric pressure cooker on the sauté mode. Dry-sauté for a few minutes until the onions become translucent.
2. Stir in the water, black-eyed peas, fire-roasted tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked paprika, and oregano. Press the manual button and set the timer to 14 minutes. Lock the lid in place and close the pressure valve.
3. When the timer goes off, do a quick-release (manually turn the valve) and unplug the pressure cooker. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve warm.

CHEF’S NOTES

Sometimes the black-eyed peas will have a few small stones mixed in. Before cooking, be sure to sort through your beans and remove anything that doesn’t belong there.

To cook these beans on the stovetop, you have two options. The first is to cook the black-eyed peas on their own or start with two cans of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed. Then heat the peas up with the remaining ingredients.

You can cook the beans with the other ingredients as you would in the pressure cooker. However, the amount of water to add will vary depending on how high your heat is and how much steam can escape, with or without a lid. If you want to try this, start with 4 cups of water plus the fire-roasted tomatoes which will add liquid as well. Then you can add more water if necessary to continue cooking the beans until they have your desired consistency.