Black eyed peas

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A soulful hummus to warm your soul

Soulful Hummus made with black-eyed peas and red beans.

There is nothing like the dutiful humming of a well-used food processor.

I love Beatrice – that’s my faithful food processor. She’s been with me for over 10 years.

Old Beatrice got down in the kitchen the other day and at the end of her soulful solo, she whipped up the most amazing hummus I have ever had.

And her timing could not have been better. So many of us across these United States are safe at home, quarantined, and snug as a bug in a rug as we observe the directives from our local, state and federal officials to cool our heels at home to help stop the spread of COVID-19 or Coronavirus.

Listen to me in the kitchen on my new podcast on 94.7 The Wave.

With so some many of us at home, we are eating an array of in-between meals, crunchy, salty and deliciously fat filled snacks.

Well put down that bag of chips and sour cream onion dip! My tasty and Soulful Hummus recipe is not only a healthier alternative, it’s creamy and savory deliciousness will warm your soul. You will love the marriage of black-eyed peas and red or light kidney beans in this hummus remix.   The easy to make tortilla chips are a bonus (you are welcome) and they are figure friendly too.

Stay home, stay safe and be well my foodie friends.

Soulful Hummus

  • Servings: 6 to 8
  • Difficulty: Very easy
  • Print

This recipe is not only easy to make, it will warm your soul.

You will need a food processor for this recipe. If don’t have one, try a blender but be sure to smash your peas and beans in a mixing bowl with a potato smasher before adding them to the blender.

Ingredients

1 heaping teaspoon jarred minced garlic or 2 fresh cloves finely chopped
1 (16-oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (16-oz.) can red beans or light kidney beans, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ to 1 teaspoon salt (I used a teaspoon)
¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (use 1/4 teaspoon if you love the heat)
¼ teaspoon dried thyme (not ground thyme)
Lemon zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh chopped parsley, cilantro, chives or green onion (your choice- optional)

Directions

  1. Gather all your ingredients before you start.
  2. Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
  3. Grate a little lemon zest over the top of the mixture in the processor.
  4. Process until smooth.
  5. Spoon hummus into a lovely plate or individual sized pasta bowl.
  6. Smooth out the surface and in a circular motion, drizzle 2 tablespoon over the hummus.
  7. Lightly sprinkle top of hummus with smoked paprika or sumac.
  8. Top with fresh chopped herbs of your choice (parsley, cilantro, chives or green onion) or lemon zest.
  9. Serve with pita chips, vegetable strips like bell peppers or my easy oven tortilla chips below.

Easy Oven Tortilla Chips
You will need a parchment lined baking sheet for this recipe

Ingredients
4 tortillas
Non stick cooking spray
salt – pain, seasoned or Cajun

Directions

  1. Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Gather all your ingredients before you start.
  3. Stack tortillas on top of each other.
  4. Cut them in half, quarters then eighths.
  5. Spread the cut tortillas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  6. Spray the tortillas with non-stick. Turn them over and spray the other side.
  7. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake 9-10 minutes.
  8. Remove when done and season with salt right on the baking sheet.
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Three variations and one wish for a Happy New Year

My traditional New Year’s Dinner: Black-eyed peas, sauteed greens with corn, oven fried chicken. Not shown: cornbread – but it’s a must have.

Au revoir 2019.

This past decade has been head spinning.

Here’s a trip down memory lane of a few events and advances I remember most from the decade of the 10’s:

  • Rideshare services, music streaming services and Amazon (Prime) changed our lives.
  • Barack Obama was elected the first African American President.
  • The Real Housewives franchise dominated reality TV.
  • Pot legalization began and cannabis became the hot, new economy.
  • Domestic terrorism became part of the American lexicon.
  • The Ebola virus emerged and measles made a raging comeback.
  • American’s favorite dad fell from grace and the phase “me to” became a call to action.
  • The nexus between climate change and natural disasters became analogous.
  • Smart phones outsmarted us and controlled our lives.
  • Two royal weddings took place.
  • Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to the Video Music Awards.
  • Same sex marriage became legal.
  • DNA services connected our ancestry dots.
  • Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in dramatic fashion.
  • Kobe Bryant retired from basketball.
  • Some of my favorite music icons left
    • Amy Winehouse
    • Whitney Houston
    • Prince
    • David Bowie
    • Tom Petty
    • Aretha Franklin
    • Natalie Cole
    • Donna Summer
    • Dick Clark, everyone’s favorite “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” countdown host

Of course there has been so much more of greater significance that has happened, but just riffing off the top of my head, these are the things that came immediately to mind.

It’s been a helluva a ride and we must lean in, press forward and bid this decade ado.

Tradition matters

So now –  let the 20’s roar!

But you know you can’t enter the new year and brand new decade without partaking in the most essential and hallowed new year’s tradition – eating your lucky black-eyed peas.

The folklore of eating black-eyed peas dates back to 500 A.D.  Steeped in the ritual of the eating the little black-eyed legume is the promise of prosperity. And that sentiment and belief has remained throughout the ages.

A recipe recap

I have opined about the history of this sacred pea of promise and over the years,  I have posted three variations of preparing them with this one intention – that you and yours have a beautiful and prosperous new year. Below you will find these posts. Just click on the bolded text and that will take you to the recipe.

Cali-fied Caviar picture

Cali-fied Caviar is a new spin on Texas Caviar

Move Over Texas Caviar, time to get “Cali-fied”– this post features a California spin on Texas caviar which was created by Helen Corbitt for her guests at a New Year’s Eve event in Houston, Texas. It is served cold and can be a side salad or appetizer.

picture of Easy black-eyed peas seasoned with sesame seed oil and butter.

Easy black-eyed peas seasoned with sesame seed oil and butter.

Your lucky pot of peas 2.0 Hacked – this post outlines a black-eyed pea hack that is easy and quick to make. It is  served warm and has a delicious and unexpected delicate flavor.

picture of A traditional pot of black-eyed peas with summer savory.

A traditional black-eyed peas recipe with smoked turkey and summer savory.

Get your lucky pot of peas simmering for the New Year – this post is all about that traditional pot of peas. But it gets a little help from summer savory, better known as the “bean” herb.

My hope for you

It’s going to be a bright and gleaming 2020 decade. Here’s hoping the new year brings you:

  • clarity in your purpose
  • sharpness in your thinking
  • acuity in your intentions and actions
  • range of sight for good health and meaningful relationships

Now  that’s 2020 vision.

Happy New Year my foodie friends.  May you cook fearlessly and eat well!

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Happy New Year, happy new food

Resolute.

You just gotta be in 2018.

I am not talking about your list of practical and lofty resolutions.

In all honesty, you probably need to anchor your resolve to straighten up your act in a myriad of areas.  Skip the resolutions. You know what you need to do, so get busy and handle your business, be your best self and live your best life as a 2018 commitment to yourself (in my Oprah voice).

That pot of black-eyed peas is certainly an obligatory tradition  some believe is a lucky charm for each shiny new year. I would never, ever advocate that you toss tradition to the wind. That would be unthinkable. In fact, I subscribe to this annual rite of passage into the New Year and trust me, I did partake and they were – in a word – so good. Ok, that’s two words.  Get my recipe here.

Lucky black-eyed peas

No luck needed

Luck is great,  but it abdicates your participation. I want you to be more resolute about your food choices this year.

Yes its cliché – you are what you eat. And the often unspoken part of that adage is you are how much you eat too. (Ok I made that up, but the point has to be driven home).

If you don’t set your intentions to make better food choices in 2018, when will you?

I love food anthologist, activist and journalist Michael Pollan. In The Pollan Table Family Cookbook, Pollan makes many salient points in the introduction of this beautiful cookbook.

Pollan connects the increase in obesity to the advent and rise of the fast food industry. Pollan also reminds us that humans cook food; corporations manufacture it.

That’s worth a pause. Take a moment to digest that.

Let me cut to the quick and bottom line my intentions for you:

  • You need to take control of your food choices.
  • You need to be mindful about the food you allow in your everyday life and the life of your family.
  • You need to reduce your portion sizes; they are overall just too large.
  • You need to cut back on the number of meals you get passed to you from a drive through window and pick-up counter – yeah you do.

For heavens sake, for your own sake, get back to cooking your own food. I know it sounds so complex, time consuming and mind bending. But it doesn’t have to be. You can do it. Your health and the health of your family depends on this.

Keep it simple dear heart and:

  1. Use fresh ingredients when possible; they provide more nutrients.
  2. Bake, broil, and grill more often than not; take a break from fried foods.
  3. Add flavor with spices and herbs; cut back on added salt and fat.
  4. Read labels and understand typical serving sizes; portion control is not a myth.
  5. Cut back on carbs; you don’t have to have them every meal.
  6. Learn a few easy food preparation techniques and get inspired.

Follow me

If you follow me on Instagram @collardgreenscaviar (and you really should), you will quickly learn that I am a big home cooking advocate. I have put in a lot of sweat equity over a stove top, about 35 years contiguous if I dare do the math.

I am a journalist and food writer first and foremost. Writing about the significant role and value food plays in our lives has been my focus and my passion.

However, I do  post a lot of food pictures on Instagram,  many of which I prepare and actually eat at home. I am not perfect when it comes to what I eat, but I know perfectly well that I when I prepare my own meals more often than not, I make better choices.

Pan grilled chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts

In this post I feature one of my most requested Instagram recipes, well its not really a recipe but a method I use to prepare chicken breast. I make this often, especially after a workout. Its fast and easy to make, in just under 30 minutes. Its delicious, healthy and beautiful to look at.

The chicken breast is seasoned with a spice rub, then pan grilled and finished in the oven. And you probably noticed there are no carbs. Yup. I often skip them at dinner time and opt for pan roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts or brocolli. But if you need or want carbs, I suggest serving this with a baked yam or confetti brown rice chalk full of your favorite sautéed vegetables.

Happy New Year! Bon Appétit.  Chin-chin. Salud.

I predict new food is in your future. Now get cooking.

Chicken so most, tender and flavorful.


Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts
Spice rub mix (Red Velvet Gourmet Spice Rub featured here)
Grapeseed oil

Directions

  1. Wash and pat dry chicken breast.
  2. Place on cutting board and slice in half.
  3. Rub a little Grapeseed oil on both sides of sliced breast and then generally season with spice rub.
  4. Pour about two tablespoon of Grapeseed oil in a grill pan set at medium heat.
  5. Once oil is heated, place breasts  in pan and cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes until medium brown in color.
  6. Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet.
  7. Cook remaining breasts and place in 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.
  8. Remove and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Wash and pat dry chicken breasts.

Place on cutting board and slice each breast in half.

Rub a little Grapeseed oil on both sides of sliced breast and then generally season with spice rub.

Add chicken breast to grill pan and cook about two minutes on each side.

Remove from pan, place on a baking sheet and place in 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10minutes.

Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

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Your lucky pot of peas 2.0 Hacked

You gotta have your black eyed peas on New Year’s Day!

black-eyed-peas-in-pan-blog-post

Stove top view of Sassy black eyed peas 2.0 Hacked

It’s tradition.

You know the story. That pot of peas holds the promise of a happy and prosperous new year. See my post Get your lucky pot of peas simmering for the New Year.

Having black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is serious business in my family and has been for generation. There is no way we are going to enter the new year with having them.

You  need your peas

With the United States and the world polarized by the results of our Presidential election, perhaps we all need a lucky pot of peas simmering on our stove tops on New Year’s Day, along with a generous helping of collard greens  which symbolizes the hope that more  moola – you know the green stuff that buys stuff –  is headed your way.

If you stick with tradition, that pot of peas is cooked low and slow, simmering for over an hour on your stove top.

Nestled among the simmering peas is often a smoked ham hock or turkey parts. The aroma of the smoked meat wafting through the air, along with the sound of the slightly ajar lid clinking back and forth on against the simmering pot, is the stuff that my memories are made of.

Hacking the peas

You want that lucky pot of peas. You gotta have that luck pot of peas. But what if you don’t want to go through all that work  soaking and simmering?

Recently, I was a contestant on the Food Network show Clash of the Grandmas. One of the challenges on this special “on fleek” or on point episode involved using a food hack to create an entrée.  Food hacks are tricks, shortcuts, or novel methods in creating or recreating a dish.

In channeling my Food Network experience, I created a tasty black eyed peas food hack for you. I call the recipe Sassy Black Eyed Peas 2.0 Hacked. For this recipe you will need unseasoned, canned black eyed peas – yes you read that right – which I will shamelessly tell you I get from Ralphs or Kroger Market.

This recipe is great to serve for your New Year’s dinner or anytime. It is smoked meat free and tangy, savory, delicious and full of flavor. Your vegetarian friends will rejoice and the carnivores in your life will not even miss the meat.

Now you can have that lucky pot of peas 2.0 style – which simply means updated and recreated using this easy food hack.

Happy New Year to you and your family.

Sassy Black Eyed Peas 2.0 Hacked

black-eyed-peas-in-bowl-2-blog-post-brighter

Sassy Black Eyed Peas 2.0 Hacked, served with Simple Truth Chicken glazed with barbecue sauce.

Ingredients
2  15.5 ounce cans unseasoned black eyed peas (Kroger/Ralphs featured here)
2 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup red chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
¼ cup liquid
Cracked pepper
Crushed red pepper

black-eye-peas-ingredients-picmonkey-collage

Sassy Black Eyed Peas 2.0 Hacked simple ingredients

Method
With a skillet set on medium heat, add sesame seed oil and butter. When butter is melted, add chopped red onion and red bell pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chopped garlic to pan and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add two cans of Kroger black eye peas, drained. Reserve ¼ cup of liquid (optional).

Add juice of one lime, ¼ cup of liquid (water, vegetable stock or reserved liquid from drained peas) and cilantro, crushed red pepper and cracked pepper to taste. Stir well. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes or until well heated. Serve.