New Years Black Eyed Peas and Greens

Hey party people! I hope you all had a nice holiday filled with love and lots of delicious food. Tell me, what did you have for dinner?

I made us a butternut squash lasagna for Christmas Eve and then a longtime favorite rigatoni recipe from Giada for Christmas dinner. If you like mushrooms, you absolutely have to try that rigatoni recipe! I’ve been making it since Brandon and I first started dating, almost 9 years ago, and it never disappoints.

Between both of those carbolicious meals, lots of red wine, a batch of these cookies, and a little bit of hot chocolate, it’s safe to say I’m about ready for that New Year detox. After a little New Years Eve champagne, of course. :)

Peas for good luck and greens for good fortune, amiright?

However, I’ll take any excuse to eat black eyed peas and I can’t think of a better way to start a new year than with a healthy servings of greens so it all works out.

I kept things pretty simple with this dish. Chopped greens are sauteed with onion, garlic and vegetable broth and served with tender black eyed peas, a squeeze of lemon juice and crushed red pepper. And if you buy precooked peas then it’ll only take 15 minutes to throw together. It’s the perfect quick, clean-eating meal to get you back on track after a looooong night.

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups black eyed peas, soaked

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 bunches greens (about 4 cups; swiss chard, collard greens, etc.)

1/2 cup vegetable broth (I recommend Better Than Boullion)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more/less to taste)

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the black eyed peas for at least 6 hours by placing them in a large bowl and adding several cups of water (I use filtered water) so that they are covered by a few inches. Drain and rinse them then add them to a pot with 3 cups of water and bring to a low boil. Cook for about 30 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. After you have washed the greens, removed the stems and roughly chopped them, add them to the skillet along with the 1/2 cup broth and cover with a lid. Cook them for 10 minutes, lifting the lid to stir them every couple of minutes.
4. Once the greens are wilted, add the black eyed peas to the skillet along with the lemon juice and stir together. Add the crushed red pepper and salt & pepper to taste.
5. Serve with cornbread muffins or your favorite bread and enjoy!

Looking for more peas? Check these out!

Southwestern Hoppin’ John

Black Eyed Pea Dip