I remember growing up not liking black eyed peas. I always had the feeling that those little black eyes were getting stuck in my throat. One day one of my youth pastors made a statement that it's not that we don't 'like' a food, it's just that we haven't had it prepared the way we like it. Here is a simple, low calorie, fat free black eye pea recipe that I'm sure you'll love. Or at the very least it'll give you a great foundation to build upon while creating a black eyed pea dish you'll love.

Before we begin though let me tell you a little about black eyed peas and its benefits.

It's a native of Africa and used all over the world. It's very high in vitamin A, calcium and folate. It appears in dishes like rice and peas in parts of the Caribbean, Texas caviar and 'Hoppin' John from the south, the fritters from parts of Africa and Colombia and the boiled cod and potato dish of Portugal, to name a few. It's an extremely versatile bean that packs a flavorful punch depending on how you prepare it.

With all of this said let's jump into a simple yet tasty recipe.

Basic Black Eyed Pea Recipe:
2 1/2 cups dried black eyed peas
5 cups pure water
1 large onion - chopped
Sea Salt [to taste]
1 tbsp Chipotle powder
1 cup peppers [multi-color peppers]

Preparation:
Wash the black eyed peas and soak them until they are completely expanded. Drain and rinse. Place them in your cooking pot and cover with the pure water, bring to a rapid boil, reduce to a simmer and add onions. Cover and cook until soft. Add salt, chipotle powder and peppers. Stir and let simmer until the flavors have evenly combined. Serve with rice, greens and squash. Bon apetite!

If you follow these simple guidelines you'll have a wonderful simple black eyed pea dish that you can embellish in many different ways.

Quick Tips:

• Add smoky, grilled ground tofu to your black eyed peas.


• Caramelize some onions and blend in the blender with some black eyed peas and soy cheese and use as a dip.


• Re-fry your black eyed peas and add some sauteed greens to them and have with cornbread and enchiladas.


• Combine with chopped red, green and sweet onions, parsley, cilantro, dill and tomato and toss with a nice sesame vinaigrette, chill and serve with corn chips.

Try your hand at stretching your black eyed pea ideas.



For more information or to have one of your questions answered, drop me a line, stop by my forum, join my Vegetarian Resource Newsletter and definitely stay tuned in as I bring you more articles to help you effortlessly achieve your best, health, well being and wholeness throughout the life of your diet.

As always it's been great sharing with you. Until next time...