Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
Vegetarian Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
Shared by Melody Reese, Seed Savers Exchange Education and Engagement Manager
Eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day is a tradition in the South and among African American communities. This tradition is believed to bring wealth and prosperity, with the leafy collard greens symbolizing paper money, and the black-eyed peas symbolizing coins. Sometimes cornbread is added as another side dish to symbolize gold.
This is a vegetarian recipe, however this dish is also traditionally served with pork, often with a ham hock or bacon. We tried it both ways!
Ingredients for vegetarian black-eyed peas and collard greens
Ingredients
½ lb dry black eyed peas – find black-eyed pea seeds on the Exchange!
1 Tablespoon oil or butter
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
½–1 teaspoon paprika
½–1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼–½ teaspoon salt
¼–½ teaspoon pepper
¼–½ teaspoon onion powder
¼–½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼–½ teaspoon dried thyme or 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
¼–½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
3–4 cups vegetable stock or water
1 bunch collard greens, washed, stems removed & cut into strips
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Optional: ¼–½ teaspoon liquid smoke. Sometimes used for a smoky flavor in absence of pork.
Instructions
1. Soak the black eyed peas in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Dried beans will expand to double or triple their size, so be sure to add enough water and use a large enough bowl to compensate.
If you don’t have time for this step, use 1.5–2 15 oz cans of black-eyed peas.
Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot heat the oil or butter. Sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add the black eyed peas and enough water or stock to cover them by 1 inch. Add all of the spices except for the smoked paprika.
Optional: add cooked ham to this dish
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the collard greens and cover. Simmer until the peas are soft, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
5. When the peas are done, remove it from the heat and stir in the smoked paprika and liquid smoke, if using.
Serve with cornbread and bourbon.
Eat this dish on New Year’s Day to bring good fortune!
Note: If using water or cooking in a pressure cooker, opt for the higher amount of spices. Cook on high pressure for 5–6 minutes. Allow pressure to come down normally. Adjust spices according to taste.
