#MeatlessMondays: Lucky Black Eyed Pea Salad

 

Reinforcement in my eyes is a good thing. One can never have too much faith, prayer, good fortune, opportunity, love, or clean underwear (not necessarily in that order).  This applies to good omen foods as well. It is my thought that any food purported to deliver prosperity and luck throughout the year when eaten on the first day of the year should be eaten as many times during the year and in as many forms as possible.
 

Especially, if that food is one as rich in history, folklore, and vitamins as the black eyed pea.

Just in time for BBQ season and mid-year reinforcement of that Hop ‘n John you should have devoured on New Year’s Day, is this black eyed pea salad.
 

Black eyed peas are of the world’s oldest domesticated crops. It is believed that the first formal growing of these legumes occurred in West Africa. Black eyed peas have been found in Egyptian tombs, and are also consumed in abundance by populations of many Asian countries. It is thought that the bean of the black eyed pea was introduced to the Islands of the West Indies from Central Africa, and then traveled from there to the Southern United States and in to the Carolinas by way of the Slave Trade.

The most commonly associated black eyed pea is a pale creamed colored pea with a pronounced black dot located on the pea where it would have connected itself to the bean pod.
 

The actual good luck tradition of eating Happy New Year’s black eyed peas is a bit greyed in areas that cross between history and folklore. A common theory amongst Southern Blacks is that traditionally these peas were to have been good luck in West Africa having known to be able to survive often difficult growing conditions.  This theory is believed to have crossed with those that survived the Middle Passage and remained a tradition with those enslaved to be passed down through generations.  Some also believe that this tradition started with Egyptian Jews, and others celebrating Rosh Hashanah. The theory is that Jews ate black-eyed peas during their New Year celebrations because the peas are called Rubya, which relates to the Hebrew word Rov meaning: a lot, many. This tradition is said to have migrated with Sephardic Jews that settled into Georgia and the Carolinas, which gave influence to slave New Year celebrations. Another account dates this tradition back to the Civil War as black-eyed peas are often called cow peas or field peas. These foods were considered to be food for the livestock. When General Sherman’s troops invaded and pillaged the food supplies of the Confederate South, Union soldiers regarded as these peas as animal feed and left them behind in the fields. The remaining Confederate citizens were said to have survived by eating this crop. In the end, they purported to have considered themselves lucky to have had a diet mainly comprised of these foods, and as such, the peas became a symbol of luck.
 

Not to be outdone by history or tall tales, black eyed peas are very healthy legumes; they are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and iron. They are low in calorie and fat and fully equipped with vitamins A, C, and K.

So even if you don’t subscribe to black eyes peas bringing you and yours a year full of prosperity and luck, may this fantastic salad bring you all continued health!

 

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

The Madness: The Ingredients

The Salad

1 29oz can of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

4 small carrots, sliced

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 large serrano pepper, deseeded and finely diced

½ medium poblano, deseeded and finely diced

½ small orange pepper, deseeded and finely diced

½ small red pepper, deseeded and finely diced

½ medium long green Italian pepper, deseeded and finely diced

1 pint container of small grape tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 pickled pepperoncini  

1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves

2 small fresh sage leaves
1/2 tbs of kosher salt or favorite AP seasoning (optional)

 

The Dressing

small 1 cup Mason jar

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp of light brown sugar

a splash of pickled pepperoncini brine

1 clove of minced garlic

½ tsp of spicy brown mustard

 

 

The Method: The Assembly

Wash, dry, and prepare vegetables according to ingredient listing. Combine prepared vegetables in a large mixing bowl.  Toss to combine.

 

 

In a separate medium bowl or small Mason jar, combine dressing ingredients. Seal Mason jar or whisk dressing ingredients until well combined.

 

 

 Keeping it Real Disclosure:

In order to preserve the crunch integrity of the salad vegetables, we dressed our salad at each serving, according to our own tastes. This also allowed for a longer storage life of the leftovers. If you’re serving the salad to a crowd and would like to have a more marinated bean salad, feel free to toss in the amount of dressing according to your personal taste and allow the salad to store in the refrigerator for up to 6 – 8 hours before serving.

#MeatlessMondays: Lucky Black Eyed Pea Salad

 

Reinforcement in my eyes is a good thing. One can never have too much faith, prayer, good fortune, opportunity, love, or clean underwear (not necessarily in that order).  This applies to good omen foods as well. It is my thought that any food purported to deliver prosperity and luck throughout the year when eaten on the first day of the year should be eaten as many times during the year and in as many forms as possible.
 

Especially, if that food is one as rich in history, folklore, and vitamins as the black eyed pea.

Just in time for BBQ season and mid-year reinforcement of that Hop ‘n John you should have devoured on New Year’s Day, is this black eyed pea salad.
 

Black eyed peas are of the world’s oldest domesticated crops. It is believed that the first formal growing of these legumes occurred in West Africa. Black eyed peas have been found in Egyptian tombs, and are also consumed in abundance by populations of many Asian countries. It is thought that the bean of the black eyed pea was introduced to the Islands of the West Indies from Central Africa, and then traveled from there to the Southern United States and in to the Carolinas by way of the Slave Trade.

The most commonly associated black eyed pea is a pale creamed colored pea with a pronounced black dot located on the pea where it would have connected itself to the bean pod.
 

The actual good luck tradition of eating Happy New Year’s black eyed peas is a bit greyed in areas that cross between history and folklore. A common theory amongst Southern Blacks is that traditionally these peas were to have been good luck in West Africa having known to be able to survive often difficult growing conditions.  This theory is believed to have crossed with those that survived the Middle Passage and remained a tradition with those enslaved to be passed down through generations.  Some also believe that this tradition started with Egyptian Jews, and others celebrating Rosh Hashanah. The theory is that Jews ate black-eyed peas during their New Year celebrations because the peas are called Rubya, which relates to the Hebrew word Rov meaning: a lot, many. This tradition is said to have migrated with Sephardic Jews that settled into Georgia and the Carolinas, which gave influence to slave New Year celebrations. Another account dates this tradition back to the Civil War as black-eyed peas are often called cow peas or field peas. These foods were considered to be food for the livestock. When General Sherman’s troops invaded and pillaged the food supplies of the Confederate South, Union soldiers regarded as these peas as animal feed and left them behind in the fields. The remaining Confederate citizens were said to have survived by eating this crop. In the end, they purported to have considered themselves lucky to have had a diet mainly comprised of these foods, and as such, the peas became a symbol of luck.
 

Not to be outdone by history or tall tales, black eyed peas are very healthy legumes; they are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and iron. They are low in calorie and fat and fully equipped with vitamins A, C, and K.

So even if you don’t subscribe to black eyes peas bringing you and yours a year full of prosperity and luck, may this fantastic salad bring you all continued health!

 

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

The Madness: The Ingredients

The Salad

1 29oz can of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

4 small carrots, sliced

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 large serrano pepper, deseeded and finely diced

½ medium poblano, deseeded and finely diced

½ small orange pepper, deseeded and finely diced

½ small red pepper, deseeded and finely diced

½ medium long green Italian pepper, deseeded and finely diced

1 pint container of small grape tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 pickled pepperoncini  

1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves

2 small fresh sage leaves
1/2 tbs of kosher salt or favorite AP seasoning (optional)

 

The Dressing

small 1 cup Mason jar

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp of light brown sugar

a splash of pickled pepperoncini brine

1 clove of minced garlic

½ tsp of spicy brown mustard

 

 

The Method: The Assembly

Wash, dry, and prepare vegetables according to ingredient listing. Combine prepared vegetables in a large mixing bowl.  Toss to combine.

 

 

In a separate medium bowl or small Mason jar, combine dressing ingredients. Seal Mason jar or whisk dressing ingredients until well combined.

 

 

 Keeping it Real Disclosure:

In order to preserve the crunch integrity of the salad vegetables, we dressed our salad at each serving, according to our own tastes. This also allowed for a longer storage life of the leftovers. If you’re serving the salad to a crowd and would like to have a more marinated bean salad, feel free to toss in the amount of dressing according to your personal taste and allow the salad to store in the refrigerator for up to 6 – 8 hours before serving.

You’ve Got Time for This: Tortellini with Shrimp & Peas Please

I can happily spend an entire afternoon in the kitchen.  The planning, shopping, sorting - turn up the music - and hours and hours later of listening, dancing around, AND cooking a great meal emerges.  

It’s sort of my thing!  

HOWEVER, with new baby in tow, delicious and easy quick fixes have completely won our hearts, and stomachs.

Eating dinner at 9:00 p.m. after a long day?

Even Sweet Brown would agree, ain’t nobody got time for that!

At least not every day!

Tortellini with Shrimp & Peas Please

Yield: Serves 4, 2 if you’re really hungry!

The Method: The Ingredients

The brilliant thing about this meal is what you see here is what you get.  It is a one pot wonder. Add a sprinkle of salt, finish with optional grated parmesan cheese, and you’ll be smiling ear to ear.  

In unison, we chorused over our plates, “This is delicious”.  

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ large or 1 small onion, finely chopped
½ large or 1 small poblano pepper, finely chopped
1 12oz bag of three cheese dry tortellini
1 lb. large frozen peeled and deveined shrimp
1 10oz box of frozen garden peas
Paprika
Kosher salt (or favorite all-purpose seasoning)

The Madness: The Assembly

Defrost shrimp by placing them in to a bowl of iced water, remove the tail shell tips. Set aside.  

Cook the tortellini according to the packaging instructions, decreasing the cook time by about 1 minute, approximately 9 minutes in boiling water.  The last minute of the pasta finishes when it has been added to the shrimp and vegetables.

Once your vegetables have been chopped, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat in a heavy bottom pot or skillet. I prefer using my 12” large cast iron skillet. It creates massive flavor and is virtually THE all-purpose pot in my eyes. Add the minced onion and poblano pepper.  If the onion and poblano start to brown around the edges, lower the temperature of your stove. You don’t want to add too much color to the vegetables in this dish. Sauté the onion and poblano until they wilt and start to become translucent, approximately 5 - 7 minutes, then add the minced garlic.

Keeping it Real Disclosure:

Poblanos are my favorite green pepper. You will find that I use them ALL the time in place of the ubiquitous regular green peppers. Poblano peppers are savory, typically very mild chili peppers that originate in Mexico.  They bring flavor to any party. I also prefer to add minced garlic to sautéing vegetables once the primary vegetables have cooked a little. Over cooked garlic burns and becomes bitter in my opinion when added to a hot pan too soon.

Once the garlic has been added, sauté for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, until the garlic has softened, become cooked through, and has been fully incorporated into the onions and peppers. Add the frozen peas to the cooked onions, peppers and garlic. Top the vegetables with a pinch of kosher salt.  Sauté the vegetables together until the peas have been fully incorporated and warmed through, 2 – 5 minutes, depending on whether or not the peas were set out to defrost as the vegetables were chopped and prepped.

Drain, rinse, and dry the defrosted shrimp with a couple paper towels. Season the shrimp with paprika and salt, or your favorite all-purpose seasoning, approximately 1 teaspoon.

Add and sauté the shrimp in with the vegetables, cook approximately 2 – 3 minutes, until the shrimp just start to appear pink and become opaque.

Keeping It Real Disclosure:

I love fresh vegetables. I eat fresh vegetables whenever and as often as I can. I feel the same about seafood. However, we are in the year of the never ending winter. In my opinion frozen peas and shrimp are the best of their frozen counterparts. They cook well, and maintain great integrity when compared to fresh.

Add the final 1 tablespoon of butter to the sautéed vegetables and shrimp, stir to melt and fully incorporate. At this point you will see a luscious buttery sauce begin to collect. Add the cooked tortellini.

Stir to Warm through the pasta, and finish cooking the shrimp, approximately 1 – 2 minutes.

It is now time to eat! If you’re feeling cheesy a sprinkle of parmesan cheese never hurt anyone.

As always, Enjoy!

xo, Bon Appégeechee

You’ve Got Time for This: Tortellini with Shrimp & Peas Please

I can happily spend an entire afternoon in the kitchen.  The planning, shopping, sorting - turn up the music - and hours and hours later of listening, dancing around, AND cooking a great meal emerges.  

It’s sort of my thing!  

HOWEVER, with new baby in tow, delicious and easy quick fixes have completely won our hearts, and stomachs.

Eating dinner at 9:00 p.m. after a long day?

Even Sweet Brown would agree, ain’t nobody got time for that!

At least not every day!

Tortellini with Shrimp & Peas Please

Yield: Serves 4, 2 if you’re really hungry!

The Method: The Ingredients

The brilliant thing about this meal is what you see here is what you get.  It is a one pot wonder. Add a sprinkle of salt, finish with optional grated parmesan cheese, and you’ll be smiling ear to ear.  

In unison, we chorused over our plates, “This is delicious”.  

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ large or 1 small onion, finely chopped
½ large or 1 small poblano pepper, finely chopped
1 12oz bag of three cheese dry tortellini
1 lb. large frozen peeled and deveined shrimp
1 10oz box of frozen garden peas
Paprika
Kosher salt (or favorite all-purpose seasoning)

The Madness: The Assembly

Defrost shrimp by placing them in to a bowl of iced water, remove the tail shell tips. Set aside.  

Cook the tortellini according to the packaging instructions, decreasing the cook time by about 1 minute, approximately 9 minutes in boiling water.  The last minute of the pasta finishes when it has been added to the shrimp and vegetables.

Once your vegetables have been chopped, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat in a heavy bottom pot or skillet. I prefer using my 12” large cast iron skillet. It creates massive flavor and is virtually THE all-purpose pot in my eyes. Add the minced onion and poblano pepper.  If the onion and poblano start to brown around the edges, lower the temperature of your stove. You don’t want to add too much color to the vegetables in this dish. Sauté the onion and poblano until they wilt and start to become translucent, approximately 5 - 7 minutes, then add the minced garlic.

Keeping it Real Disclosure:

Poblanos are my favorite green pepper. You will find that I use them ALL the time in place of the ubiquitous regular green peppers. Poblano peppers are savory, typically very mild chili peppers that originate in Mexico.  They bring flavor to any party. I also prefer to add minced garlic to sautéing vegetables once the primary vegetables have cooked a little. Over cooked garlic burns and becomes bitter in my opinion when added to a hot pan too soon.

Once the garlic has been added, sauté for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, until the garlic has softened, become cooked through, and has been fully incorporated into the onions and peppers. Add the frozen peas to the cooked onions, peppers and garlic. Top the vegetables with a pinch of kosher salt.  Sauté the vegetables together until the peas have been fully incorporated and warmed through, 2 – 5 minutes, depending on whether or not the peas were set out to defrost as the vegetables were chopped and prepped.

Drain, rinse, and dry the defrosted shrimp with a couple paper towels. Season the shrimp with paprika and salt, or your favorite all-purpose seasoning, approximately 1 teaspoon.

Add and sauté the shrimp in with the vegetables, cook approximately 2 – 3 minutes, until the shrimp just start to appear pink and become opaque.

Keeping It Real Disclosure:

I love fresh vegetables. I eat fresh vegetables whenever and as often as I can. I feel the same about seafood. However, we are in the year of the never ending winter. In my opinion frozen peas and shrimp are the best of their frozen counterparts. They cook well, and maintain great integrity when compared to fresh.

Add the final 1 tablespoon of butter to the sautéed vegetables and shrimp, stir to melt and fully incorporate. At this point you will see a luscious buttery sauce begin to collect. Add the cooked tortellini.

Stir to Warm through the pasta, and finish cooking the shrimp, approximately 1 – 2 minutes.

It is now time to eat! If you’re feeling cheesy a sprinkle of parmesan cheese never hurt anyone.

As always, Enjoy!

xo, Bon Appégeechee

Absolutely BANANAS, Banana Ice Cream!

This week, Bon Appégeechee is going Bananas on The LaJule Chronicles' Beauty from the Inside Out!!

Black Hair Media described concisely the health benefits of this ubiquitous tropical fruit.  Bananas contain potassium, iron, and B Vitamins (including B6 and B12).  Bananas have a great deal of health benefits for such ailments as anemia, depression, cramping, constipation and diarrhea.  Bananas also promote healthy bones, teeth, regulation of blood pressure, kidney health, improved nerve function, and stress relief. 

Further, a good banana mask for your hair works wonders on frizz.  Consider.

Today, we’re making Banana Ice Cream!  Don’t say, “Well, I don’t have an ice cream maker”, because you don’t need one!  I don’t think that calling this an ice cream is at all a misnomer, though this recipe contains no dairy.  A creaminess of the fruit’s texture takes place when blending frozen bananas.  Completely vegan, this recipe is one more reason to keep and freeze over ripened bananas.

The world of food blogging is very much in line with fashion blogging when it comes to developing trends, “hotness vs. hot mess” systematically applies across these two worlds.  The minute The Kitchn published this ‘how to’, headlines and post titles across the food blogosphere were amazed by the tale.  Everyonemade One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream!  Google it, you’ll see. However, you won’t have to; this recipe is as easy as it gets.  All you need are frozen bananas and either a food processor or a high powered blender. That’s it! I added toasted pecans and a tablespoon of peanut butter just to complicate things a little, but neither is necessary to make this recipe work.

Imagine making this for kids, or kids at heart, they’ll go Bananas!  Just make sure you make enough for sharing.  You’ll love it to!

THIS is absolutely the cleverest recipe I’ve ever made!  It’s like magic!

Absolutely BANANAS, Banana (& Peanut Butter) Ice Cream!

                Yield:  2 Servings.  Feel free to multiply this recipe out. It’s as flexible as they come.

The Method: The Ingredients

4 frozen ripe bananas, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter (optional)
1/3 cup of toasted pecans (optional)

The Madness: Assembly

To toast the pecans:  Place your pecans in a small dry pan on the stove under medium high heat. Stir or shake the pan occasionally for 4 minutes. The nuts will become toasted and fragrant.   Set aside to cool. 

On to the magic; I keep an arsenal of frozen bananas as thickeners and flavoring for smoothies; therefore, my bananas were frozen whole. Peel and slice the bananas into rounds.  You can use unfrozen bananas; however, make sure to slice and freeze them until completely frozen. About 2 hours. 

Place the banana slices into your food processor. BLEND the bananas, be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.  As the frozen mixture starts to blend, you’ll see the ice cream start to take shape.

The mix goes from a bowl of frozen bananas to banana ice cream in NO TIME!

Just as the mixture starts to resemble thick ice cream add the peanut butter.

Continue to blend to desired consistency.  

Garnish with toasted pecans, or enjoy immediately.  If your mixture is a little thin, feel free to place into the airtight freezer container to firm up just a bit.  Frozen leftovers keep well too; but, don’t worry, you won’t have any!

Let me know what you think, right here or at The LaJule Chronicles what you think of this recipe!

Remember, where beauty starts from the inside out!

xo, Bon Appégeechee

Absolutely BANANAS, Banana Ice Cream!

This week, Bon Appégeechee is going Bananas on The LaJule Chronicles' Beauty from the Inside Out!!

Black Hair Media described concisely the health benefits of this ubiquitous tropical fruit.  Bananas contain potassium, iron, and B Vitamins (including B6 and B12).  Bananas have a great deal of health benefits for such ailments as anemia, depression, cramping, constipation and diarrhea.  Bananas also promote healthy bones, teeth, regulation of blood pressure, kidney health, improved nerve function, and stress relief. 

Further, a good banana mask for your hair works wonders on frizz.  Consider.

Today, we’re making Banana Ice Cream!  Don’t say, “Well, I don’t have an ice cream maker”, because you don’t need one!  I don’t think that calling this an ice cream is at all a misnomer, though this recipe contains no dairy.  A creaminess of the fruit’s texture takes place when blending frozen bananas.  Completely vegan, this recipe is one more reason to keep and freeze over ripened bananas.

The world of food blogging is very much in line with fashion blogging when it comes to developing trends, “hotness vs. hot mess” systematically applies across these two worlds.  The minute The Kitchn published this ‘how to’, headlines and post titles across the food blogosphere were amazed by the tale.  Everyone made One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream!  Google it, you’ll see. However, you won’t have to; this recipe is as easy as it gets.  All you need are frozen bananas and either a food processor or a high powered blender. That’s it! I added toasted pecans and a tablespoon of peanut butter just to complicate things a little, but neither is necessary to make this recipe work.

Imagine making this for kids, or kids at heart, they’ll go Bananas!  Just make sure you make enough for sharing.  You’ll love it to!

THIS is absolutely the cleverest recipe I’ve ever made!  It’s like magic!

Absolutely BANANAS, Banana (& Peanut Butter) Ice Cream!

                Yield:  2 Servings.  Feel free to multiply this recipe out. It’s as flexible as they come.

The Method: The Ingredients

4 frozen ripe bananas, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter (optional)
1/3 cup of toasted pecans (optional)

The Madness: Assembly

To toast the pecans:  Place your pecans in a small dry pan on the stove under medium high heat. Stir or shake the pan occasionally for 4 minutes. The nuts will become toasted and fragrant.   Set aside to cool. 

On to the magic; I keep an arsenal of frozen bananas as thickeners and flavoring for smoothies; therefore, my bananas were frozen whole. Peel and slice the bananas into rounds.  You can use unfrozen bananas; however, make sure to slice and freeze them until completely frozen. About 2 hours. 

Place the banana slices into your food processor. BLEND the bananas, be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.  As the frozen mixture starts to blend, you’ll see the ice cream start to take shape.

The mix goes from a bowl of frozen bananas to banana ice cream in NO TIME!

Just as the mixture starts to resemble thick ice cream add the peanut butter.

Continue to blend to desired consistency.  

Garnish with toasted pecans, or enjoy immediately.  If your mixture is a little thin, feel free to place into the airtight freezer container to firm up just a bit.  Frozen leftovers keep well too; but, don’t worry, you won’t have any!

Let me know what you think, right here or at The LaJule Chronicles what you think of this recipe!

Remember, where beauty starts from the inside out!

xo, Bon Appégeechee