Healthier Black Eyed Peas Aka Hoppin John From Glamour Magazi Recipes

HOPPIN' JUAN

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat; cook and stir onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in hot butter until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir cooked rice, black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes with habanero peppers, bacon, salt, and black pepper into vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently.

HEALTHIER BLACK-EYED PEAS (AKA HOPPIN' JOHN) FROM GLAMOUR MAGAZI

Steps:

• Sort thought the peas, discarding any shriveled ones. Place peas in a large pot, covering them with at least 2" of water and soak for 4-6 hours or heat to boiling over high heat, remove from heat and allow to soak for 2 hours. Using either method, drain after soaking.
• Place onion, carrots and garlic in food processor and pulse to achieve a medium to fine dice. Tie parsley sprigs together with kitchen twine or dental floss.
• After soaking and rinsing, place peas, onion, carrots, garlic, and parsley bundle into a clean pot. Add 12 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of the salt and half of the thyme and sage. Over high heat, heat to boiling reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the other half of the thyme and sage. and continue cooking until done, about 15 more minutes.
• When done, remove the parsley bundle. Decant the water into a bowl and measure, adding additional water to make 3 cups if necessary. Use this water to cook the rice, making it "dirty."
• While the peas are cooking, make the vinaigrette by combining the oil, vinegar, salt, minced parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and hot pepper flakes in a small bowl or jar. Mix to combine and pour onto the peas while still warm, stirring to blend.
• Serve over the dirty rice with the ham on the side. Put the hot sauce of your choice on the table.

HEALTHY HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Remove the loose outer leaves of the cabbage to reveal the tightly packed head. Carefully chop the cabbage into coarse pieces. Discard the core. Place the pieces into a collander and wash thoroughly. Shake the cabbage slices to separate the leaves as best as possible. Set aside.
• Peel and slice both the onion and garlic. Set aside.
• Remove the Canadian Bacon from the package and dice into cubes/slivers. Set aside.
• Open and drain the can of black-eyed peas. Set aside.
• In a large skillet with a lid, place two tablespoons of olive oil. Heat on medium-high heat. Open the Rice-a-Roni package and pour the rice into the skillet. Sautee the rice until golden/medium brown. Slowly and carefully add the hot water to the skillet. Add contents of the flavor packet and stir well. Reduce heat to lowest setting possible, cover, and cook until all liquid is absorbed (about 15-25 minutes).
• In a large pot, place butter and remaining olive oil. Heat on medium/high heat. Stir butter and olive oil together. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion, garlic, and Canadian Bacon. Sautee 3-5 minutes. Add the cayenne and parsley and stir. Add the black-eyed peas and stir. Cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Add the cabbage to the mixture and stir. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring the mixture every 5 minutes.
• After 15 minutes of cooking, give mixture one last stir, cover, turn burner off and let stand 5-10 minutes.
• Once the Rice-a-Roni is finished cooking, remove from heat and let stand 3-5 minutes.
• The dish may be assembled separately or the cooked Rice-a-Roni may be mixed directly into the cabbage and served as a complete meal. Leftovers should be mixed together and refridgerated in a small container. The dish reheats well and tastes better the next day. This makes it possible to prepare this dish a day in advance.