This is a delicious thick meal full of flavor and spices! Even if you don’t care for black-eyed peas you just might like this dish. Plus it’s healthy, quick and inexpensive… a combo I tend to love! The day we first tested this out was New Years day. We gathered the ingredients and they were on the stove. Then things got a little odd… While the peas were simmering our good friend Kee Kee called and said she was in town with a friend of hers and wondered if we wanted to go out to dinner with them. There was only one stipulation: we had to find a place that had black-eyed peas so she could eat some for luck for the year. (Evidently that’s an old Southern tradition.) Roy told them to just come on over to our place as we were cooking up a batch at that very moment. True story.
For a bit more luck added to your home make a lucky horseshoe decor. And if you’re looking for some other ways to start the New Year off right check out our Unique New Year Resolution Ideas Kit!
IMPORTANT: Liquid Smoke is a KEY ingredient to this recipe’s wonderful flavor. Don’t leave it out!
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
- 5 cups water
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot sauce (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke flavoring
- Cooked brown rice or rice of choice. 6 servings worth.
- Soak the peas overnight in cold water. Drain.
- Cook rice ahead of time so its ready when the pea are.
- Over high heat, sauté the onion until it begins to brown; add the bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add all ingredients except liquid smoke to the pot, along with enough additional water to cover the peas by one inch. Cook until peas are completely tender, about 1½ to 2 hours, adding more water as necessary.
- When they’re tender, add the Liquid Smoke, cook for 5 more minutes, and serve over rice or put a scoop of rice in center.
- For 6 large servings (not including rice), each contains 299 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (6% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; trace Cholesterol; 481mg Sodium; 12g Fiber.
- Follow the directions on your bag of peas. Most will be similar but here is how we make them. Cover the peas with 1″ to 1½″ water. Place them over high heat until they boil then turn down the heat to low and cover them, allowing the peas to simmer. Stir them every 15 to 20 minutes and check for tenderness. They take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the peas.