Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas with Mushrooms

Our family is filled with traditions. And superstitions. And must-dos.

And black-eyed peas on the New Years’ Day dinner table has been around for as long as I can remember. And as it is reported to bring forth good luck and good fortune, it’s not one of those weird traditions that only our family does.

Because I’m almost certain that the “green cars are bad luck” is a superstition that only we must obey.

When it comes to certain foods bringing you good luck and fortune, you can believe or not. But if there is a modicum of possibility that eating a spoonful or two of black-eyed peas might bring it about, you can bet that I’m all in.

Over the years, we’ve had a variety of black-eyed dishes, some more palatable than the next.

But this one? This one here might just be a keeper.

Black-eyed peas for the win.

I won’t lie and tell you this is a quick dish. But it’s not complicated. The biggest time suck is cooking the black-eyed peas. You can obviously save quite a bit of time by buying them already cooked (in a can). But that’s if you actually don’t appear at the grocery store on New Years’ Day, like me, and expect to find a can available.

I should know better.

But it all worked out.

Hearty. Flavorful. Well-seasoned. And super, super healthy.

And let’s not forget all that prosperity that will be heading your way this year as you down spoonful after spoonful of this.

Because really.

That right there is enough.

Tomorrow? Eat.Live.Be. 2013.

Yep.

Black-Eyed Peas with Mushrooms
Recipe courtesy of The Biggest Loser: 6 Weeks to a Healthier You

3 t olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 T chopped garlic
1-1/2 cups (14-1/2 oz can) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 t ground coriander
1 t curry powder
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground turmeric
1/2 t red chile flakes
1-1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, lentils, or beans (black, red, white, or pinto); or 1 (16 oz) can cooked beans, rinsed, and drained
3 cups sliced mushrooms (brown, white, cremini, or shiitake) (I used an 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms, so it was a little bit more)
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro (I skipped)
salt-free seasoning
ground black pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, but do not brown the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, coriander, curry, cumin, turmeric, and chile flakes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a 3- or 4-quart saucepan and keep warm. (I just put it in a small bowl so I could reuse the same pan for the next step)

In a clean skillet, add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes, until the mushrooms are just cooked and have lost their water. Add the mushrooms to the bean mixture and stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt-free seasoning, and black pepper.

Makes 4 (1-cup) servings

2oo calories, 10g protein, 31g carbs, 5g fat, 8g fiber

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