Hottie Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

Winter finally set in yesterday so I wanted something hot and stewy, plus we were going to see The Iron Lady and so I needed something that could be made fairly quickly. And a quick look in the fridge revealed a sad bunch of chard just begging to be eaten. How could I refuse an opportunity to make a favourite?

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a vegan goddess. We have three of her cookbooks and we have not hit a bad recipe yet. This one comes from Appetite for Reduction and is one of my go-to staples, especially if I have some wilted greens like beet greens, kale or chard. Of course you can use nice fresh greens but they are good for using up those bunches that are looking slightly tired.

You can serve this on any starch or just eat it as a side dish or as a dish itself. I cooked bulgur last night which is made from cracked wheat. It is not fast from start to finish (40 minutes) but all you need is to put 1 cup bulgur in a pot with a lid, add 1cup + 1/3 cup boiling water, stir, cover and let sit. After 40 minutes, fluff with a fork and voilà! Make this first and let it "cook" while you prepare the rest. More substantial than coucous and different from rice.

Hottie Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

oil for frying (I use canola which is the best oil apart from olive in terms of health benefits)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch greens washed, cut into strips/shredded (about 1/2 lb although I never weigh my greens)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 cans (15oz each) black-eyed peas (although I have used black beans and I'm sure any other bean you like would work.)
1 cup passata (tomato sauce NOT ketchup)
1/2 cup veggie broth (see note below about instant veggie broths)
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke or smoked paprika (last night I added 1/4 block of smoked tofu cut into 1cm cubes which added a smoky flavour but not as intense as the liquid smoke or paprika. Corey preferred it with the tofu, I like the smoke or paprika more)


Heat the oil in a large saucepan (with a tight fitting lid) on medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add the greens, water and salt. Cover and let simmer until the greens are cooked down - about 10minutes. Check the pot and stir a couple times to make sure nothing is sticking and that your greens haven't become a mush. Add the peas, passata, broth and mix thoroughly. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the tofu at this point if you are using it. Add the hot sauce and liquid smoke/paprika and cook 5 minutes more, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Serve on a starch of your choice. Yummy!

About soup broth powders...
It's hard to find any stock powder that isn't more salt than anything else. We have a "chicken flavoured" veggie stock that gives me 21% of my sodium intake in just 1tsp. Ridiculous. The broth powder I use the most often is Gayelord Hauser's All Natural Instant Vegetable Broth. It only has 7% of my daily salt per tsp and as far as I can tell, the salt comes from the ground kelp. It's more expensive but it comes in a good size box and if worth the price. I get it at Nature's Fair by the mall.