Black Eyed Peas for the New Years 2014

On The Menu

• Hoppin John
• Sazon Seasoning 
• Black Eyed Peas Salad 
• Black Eyed Peas Soup with Greens

Hoppin John - New Age Style

8 - 10 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound sorted dried black eye peas

6 cups water

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon  granulated onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt - Divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 large jalapeno pepper, diced

4 large cloves garlic chopped

2 teaspoons Sazon - Recipe to follow

3 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley

Method

Place waters and beans in a large pot and place on medium low heat uncovered. Add the bay leaves, granulated garlic and onion and 1 teaspoon salt.
Cook uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions, peppers, garlic, sazon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Saute 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and saute until liquid is absorbed.
Transfer the mixture to the bean pot and cook another 30 minutes or until beans are done and sauce is smooth and creamy.
Keep beans covered with at least 1 inch of  liquid at all times. If needed, add additional water, 1/2 cup at a time.
Once beans are done, mix in chopped cilantro or parsley and serve over brown rice. 

 Sazon Seasoning - Salt Free

½ cup

If you like that commercial brand then you're gonna love this 100% pure Sazon Seasoning!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons cumin, ground

1 teaspoon coriander, ground

1 teaspoon annatto

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 tablespoon paprika

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a glass container with lid and shake until all spices are thoroughly combined.  If you use an airtight container, product can be kept for 6 month

6 Servings

Note: This recipe is basically black eyed peas with a corn salsa topped with Italian Dressing. It's also vegan.

Ingredients

For the Peas:

1 cup dried black eyed peas

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 chili pepper, dried, whole

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon granulated onion

1 teaspoon sea salt

For the Salsa:

1 cup whole kernel corn¹, drained

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

For the Italian Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Creole or other spicy mustard

½ teaspoon granulated garlic

½ teaspoon granulated onion

¼ teaspoon rosemary

¼ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon basil

Method

Sort and rinse black eyed peas thoroughly. 

Place them in a medium bowl with water bay leaf, dried chili pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, cover and soak overnight.
After soaking, transfer beans and soaking broth to large saucepan make sure water is covering by at least 3 inches.

Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer.

Add salt and cook until beans are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
Drain beans discard bay leaf and chili pepper then transfer beans to a large bowl.

 Add corn, onions, jalapeno, tomatoes and cilantro, and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard and seasonings.

Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.

Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.

¹ I use raw corn, just cut it off the cob, rinse and toss it in the salad

 Black Eyed Peas Soup with Greens

Yield 10 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound black eyed peas, dried

8 cups water

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

1 cup of chopped onion

½ cup of chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup of chopped celery

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 chipotle chili peppers in adobe sauce, diced

5 tomatoes, diced

4 cups of vegetable broth

1 pound collards or mustard greens chiffonade

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Croutons, for garnish, optional

Method

Sort and rinse black eyed peas thoroughly. 

Place them in a medium bowl with water bay leaf, granulated garlic, granulated onion, cover and soak overnight.

In a large pot, heat oil once oil is heated add chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, minced garlic and chipotle peppers.

Sautee until onions are translucent.

Add the diced tomatoes and continuing sautéing until all liquid is absorbed.

Add the beans, soaking broth, vegetable broth, salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, partially cover pot and then lower heat to a simmer.

Cook 1 hour then add the greens and continue cooking another ½ hour

or until peas are tender.

Taste and add salt and adobo sauce to taste.

Black Eyed Pea Soup with Greens

 Black Eyed Peas Soup with Greens

Yield 10 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound black eyed peas, dried

8 cups water

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

1 cup of chopped onion

½ cup of chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup of chopped celery

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 chipotle chili peppers in adobe sauce, diced

5 tomatoes, diced

4 cups of vegetable broth

1 pound collards or mustard greens chiffonade

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Croutons, for garnish, optional

Method

Sort and rinse black eyed peas thoroughly. 

Place them in a medium bowl with water bay leaf, granulated garlic, granulated onion, cover and soak overnight.

In a large pot, heat oil once oil is heated add chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, minced garlic and chipotle peppers.

Sautee until onions are translucent.

Add the diced tomatoes and continuing sautéing until all liquid is absorbed.

Add the beans, soaking broth, vegetable broth, salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, partially cover pot and then lower heat to a simmer.

Cook 1 hour then add the greens and continue cooking another ½ hour

or until peas are tender.

Taste and add salt and adobo sauce to taste.

Sunday Supper December 27, 2013

On the Menu

• Meatloaf - Beef
• Green Beans with Onions and Chili Flakes
• Israeli Carrots 
• Quinoa Salad With Apples, Walnuts & Cranberries 

We hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday.  In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, we are going to have a light and simple Sunday Dinner because New Years is just a few days away.
Remember as always, make your Sunday Dinner a family affair.

Soulful Eating!
Angelique and Joyce

Beef Meatloaf
8 Servings

Ingredients

3 lbs ground beef

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon granulated onion

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 cup parsley, chopped

½ cup tomato sauce

Method

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Place ground beef in a large bowl, add the vinegar and salt and mix thoroughly by hand.

With the exception of the tomato sauce, add all remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix by hand.

Place mixture in a loaf pan and top with the tomato sauce. 

Bake in a preheated oven uncovered 45 minutes.

Let loaf rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to complete the cooking process and allow the juices to settle.

8 Servings

Ingredients

2 pounds green beans, trimmed, halved

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon crushed red peppers

½ teaspoon sea salt

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add beans and bay leaf, cook for 5 minutes. Plunge beans into ice water; drain and discard bay leaf.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, onions and chili peppers and sauté 30 seconds.

Add beans; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes, tossing frequently.

 Israeli Carrots

8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 ½ pounds baby carrots, trimmed and halved lengthwise

3 garlic clove, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 orange, juiced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon sea salt

Method

Bring water and bay leaf to a boil in a saucepan.

Add carrots; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and discard bay leaf.

Place garlic, cilantro, dill, olive oil, orange juice, cumin and salt in a food process and pulse until all ingredients are well combined. 

Spoon the mixture over carrots; toss gently to coat.
Serve hot or warm.

Quinoa Salad With Apples, Walnuts & Cranberries 

6 - 8 Servings 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups quinoa

½ teaspoon sea salt

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 ounces arugula (about 3 cups)

1 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 large, crisp apple cut into ½ inch dice

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup finely diced fennel

¾  cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon granulated garlic 
½ teaspoon granulated onion

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

In a bowl, rinse the quinoa with water, rubbing it between your fingers for about 10 seconds.

Drain and transfer it to a 3-quart pot. Add 2-½ cups water and ½ tsp. sea salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender but still delicately crunchy, about 15 minutes.

Drain the quinoa and return it to the pot. Cover and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes; then fluff it with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

 Add the onion and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring frequently, until tender and brown around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes.

 Add the balsamic vinegar and toss with the onions until the vinegar cooks away, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, onions, arugula, celery, apple, walnuts, fennel, and cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil with the sherry vinegar, granulated garlic, granulated onion, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the dressing to the salad and gently mix it in. Let rest a moment; then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add more olive oil if the salad seems dry.

Meatless Monday's Smoothie

Angelique:  "EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!" Mom always said.  But now she's added a new phrase.
Mom:  If you can't eat them, at least drink them.  And with all of these blenders and Vitamixers and Jamba Juices around, its the perfect time to get on the smoothie kick.
Angelique:  We're more of a juicing family than smoothies, but for the past couple of years we've been doing a morning fruit and veggie smoothie.  Mom even did the 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge.
Mom: And to be perfectly honest more than half of the smoothies were out right nasty.  BUT I did learn a lot about combinations of fruits and veggies that are good together.
Angelique:  And a host of things we wouldn't even think of adding to a smoothie like jalapeños.  In the interest of saving you the pain of what we went through, we'll be offering up 1 smoothie recipe a week.  But only the good ones.
Mom:  I'm going to give you my standard advice.  Buy fresh, organic fruits and vegetables at your farmers market, wash them and freeze them.  That way when you toss them in the blender its nice and cold.
Angelique:  And please resist the temptation to destroy your smoothie with sherbet ice cream or Tree top apple juice.
Mom:  If you do that, you might as well get a cone from Baskin-Robbins because you just killed the nutritional value.  Ange will tell you to just add a cup of water to wet your smoothie.
Angelique:  But mom takes the more complicated route.   She juices apples, oranges, carrots, lemons and freezes it to make liquid for the smoothie.  That's way too much trouble for me.
Mom:  Whatever you do, keep it natural.  We don't even use soy milk or yogurt anymore.  When we want more protein, we grind up oats and flax seed or raw nuts  and then add them to the smoothie.
Angelique:  You won't catch protein powder in Mom's house.  She looks at me crazy when I take my vitamins.  Because as mom would say, "ALL THE NUTRIENTS YOU NEED ARE IN YOUR FOOD!"
Mom:  All you need to remember is that processed foods were created to make money and save time, not mankind!

Soulful Eating!
Angelique and Joyce

Chocolate Pomegranate Smoothie

2 Servings

Ingredients
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 banana, very ripe, frozen
1 cup strawberries, frozen
1/2 cup pineapples, frozen
3 - 4 kale leaves (small to medium  in size)
1 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Method
Make sure your banana is very ripe because it's going to be your sweetener.
Peel, dice and freeze banana and pineapples.  
Wash and freeze the strawberries.
Place all ingredients in the blender and process until it's the consistency of sherbet.

Note:  If you do not have a high speed blender, the frozen fruit is going to be a strain on you blender so be patient. Pulse then shake your blender until you get a vortex going.  Add more juice or coconut milk/water as needed.

I make my own coconut milk by add 1 cup of organic, dried unsweetened coconut flakes to 1 quart of water.  Puree,   strain and set flakes aside.  
For the coconut water, I add another 2 cups of water to the strained coconut flakes then puree and strain again. Technically it's not coconut water but it serves the purpose.

Chocolate Pomegranate Smoothie

Chocolate Pomegranate Smoothie

2 Servings

Ingredients
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 banana, very ripe, frozen
1 cup strawberries, frozen
1/2 cup pineapples, frozen
3 - 4 kale leaves (small to medium  in size)
1 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Method
Make sure your banana is very ripe because it's going to be your sweetener.
Peel, dice and freeze banana and pineapples.  
Wash and freeze the strawberries.
Place all ingredients in the blender and process until it's the consistency of sherbet.

Note:  If you do not have a high speed blender, the frozen fruit is going to be a strain on you blender so be patient. Pulse then shake your blender until you get a vortex going.  Add more juice or coconut milk/water as needed.

I make my own coconut milk by add 1 cup of organic, dried unsweetened coconut flakes to 1 quart of water.  Puree,   strain and set flakes aside.  
For the coconut water, I add another 2 cups of water to the strained coconut flakes then puree and strain again. Technically it's not coconut water but it serves the purpose.

Sunday Dinner December 15, 2013

On the Menu

• Apricot Glazed Chicken Breast 
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions
• Cauliflower Dill Soup
• Arugula and Fennel Salad

Apricot Glazed Chicken Breast

4 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon garlic minced

½ - 1 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers

4 chicken breast, skin removed

¼ cup apricot preserves

½ tablespoon Dijon mustard

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine orange juice, lemon juice, salt, garlic and chili peppers in a container large enough to hold the breast.  Add chicken breast and marinate overnight, turning once or twice.  

Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and pour 1 cup of the marinade in the pan. Bake uncovered 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the preserves and mustard.

Brush the glaze over the breast during the final 15 minutes of cooking.

 Arugula and Fennel Salad 

4 Servings

Note:  I love to mix arugula with spinach or you can use spinach instead of arugula.  Either way it's a very delicious salad.

Ingredients

For the Salad

12 ounce arugula or spinach

1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin

For the Dressing:

1 large orange, juiced

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

½ teaspoon crushed red chili peppers

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

For the salad

Wash the fennel bulb, remove stems and leaves slice bulb in half and remove the core then cut in thin slices as you would an onion.

In a large bowl add the arugula and sliced fennel.  Coarsely chop some of the leaves and toss them in a bowl. 

Use remaining leaves as you would parsley or dill and the stems as you would scallions or onions. 

For the dressing

Place juices, vinegar, salt, garlic and peppers in a blender or use a hand wand and puree.  Gradually drizzle in oil and continue pureeing until dressing thickens.

Pour ¼ cup of dressing over salad and mix thoroughly. 

Store remaining dressing in a glass container and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

   Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions

4 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup unfiltered organic apple juice

¼ cup Olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red chili peppers

3 lbs butternut squash, diced

1 large red onion, diced

Method

            Preheat oven 350 degrees

Peel and seed squash, cut into 1” dice

In a medium bowl, whisk together apple juice, olive oil, garlic and dry seasonings.

Toss squash and onions with the mixture, let sit refrigerated 1 hour, drain.

Place on a sheet pan leave space around pieces to allow for browning.    Use 2 pans if necessary to avoid crowding.

Bake in a preheated oven 45 minutes.

Half way through turn squash and continue cooking until edges are caramelized, stir again.

Cauliflower Dill Soup

2 Servings

Ingredients:1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large head of cauliflower cut into florets.
½ bunch dill
6 cups of vegetable broth
½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon granulated onion

Method

Heat oil in a stock, add onion and sauté 1 minute

Add garlic and sauté for another minute. 

Add cauliflower chunks, fresh dill and vegetable broth and seasonings. 

Simmer until cauliflower is tender.

Using a immersion blender or food processor, puree until smooth and creamy or to the desired texture.

Add more vegetable broth depending on how thick you want your soup and simmer another 15 – 20 minutes.