Black Eyed Peas are fantastic and I love them! They are a traditional dish to have on New Year´s day. Good luck abounds with this meal and the way I have heard the superstition is that for every bean that you eat you will have good luck for a day. Luckily they are a small bean so you can eat more. I have made a vegan version and it has all the flavor of the original. Very simple to make especially when it is made in a crockpot. The leftovers are as good as they are on the first day so you can actually make them the day before the holiday if your family would like to eat earlier in the day. That was our family’s tradition. Eat on New Year’s Day while watching football. Fun!
Ingredients
1 pound bag dried black eyed peas
About 2 cups water and 2 cups vegetable broth.
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
The night before cooking:
Put the black eyed peas in a large bowl and cover with water to clean.
Swish your hand around in the water and pick out any beans that don't look good or that float.
Drain the beans.
Put the beans in a very large pot or bowl.
Cover with fresh water by about 4 inches above the beans.
Let soak on the counter overnight.
They will plump up.
The morning of cooking.
Drain the presoaked black eyed peas and put them in the slow cooker.
Add the onion, garlic and spices to the crock pot.
Add the 2 cups of vegetable broth.
Add enough water to just cover the beans.
Turn on low for about 6 to 8 hours.
They can also be cooked on high for 3 to 4 hours. Give a bean a pinch at the end of cooking to make sure they are the softness that you like. Or ... have a spoonful. HA!
Ready to serve.
They are also delicious served with my Caribbean Bean Sauce as seen in the photo above. Perfect match.
IF FREEZING:
Let cool to room temperature.
Package in rigid sided containers as defined in my article http://veganinthefreezer.com/preparing-food-for-the-freezer
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator overnight because it is a pretty solid mass and will take longer to defrost.
The night of serving -
Put all in a large saucepan and heat through. You could also heat in the microwave.
Serve and enjoy!
http://veganinthefreezer.com/2012/12/black-eyed-peas-from-the-slow-cooker/
It is funny that you posted this now as I was just talking about how I do not think I have ever tried black eyed peas. I am dying to try them, though. Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome and I hope you get to try them. You can dunk chunky bread in the juices too. Yummy.
Ha! I was just saying I need to do more with the slow cooker – this is a fabulous idea! I think BEPs are on sale at my grocery.
Hope you get to try them soon and especially with your new slow cooker!
I missed making my black eye peas yesterday because the last time I made them in the crock pot, they didn’t come out right. I already had them soaked and ready to go and everything! I just saw your recipe and it has inspired me to try again! lol So I’m heading into the kitchen now to try your recipe and hope I have better luck because I LOVE black eye peas and they are a great meal to freeze. Do you ever put jalapenos in yours? Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you are giving black eyed peas a try again. They will work out perfectly – just pinch them at the end of the cooking time and make sure they are the tenderness that you like. They can cook longer if you prefer. I happened to eat them again last night and I dunked ciabatta in the juices. Yum! I have never tried jalapenos but I think I will next time. Thanks for the idea!