I am originally from Texas, and my family always has traditional black-eyed peas on New Years Day for luck. Hoppin’ John is a dish with peas and rice, usually with bacon or ham. However, I like black-eyed peas year round because they are a great way to get protein and fiber. This recipe incorporates the basic ‘beans & rice’ element, but in a healthy and clean eating way.
I used canned black-eyed peas and this dish was ready in about 10 minutes! Quick & Easy! 
A great side to Turkey Sausage on the grill
I found this recipe in ‘The Eat-Clean Diet’ book and I made a few modifications to it. First, it says to serve as a warm dish – but I made it early in the day and put it in the fridge for a refreshing side to dinner – it was great as a chilled dish! I had an acorn squash on hand – so while the recipe called for butternut squash, the acorn squash was fine and I would even use yellow squash and zucchini as a substitute. Greg didn’t want so many carbs late in the day – so I used 1/2 the amount of rice – the peas were the feature in this dish – not the rice.
So, here is my recipe ~ inspired ~ by ‘The Eat-Clean Diet’
Ingredients:
- 1 can black-eyed peas
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
- fresh ground Pennsylvania Pepper to taste (One of my favorite peppers! I also love the Gourmet Peppercorn Mixer!)
- 1/2 acorn squash, diced
- I cut my squash in half, removed the seeds and steamed it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Scoop out the squash and dice.
- 1/4 cup chopped red pepper
- a few shakes of hot pepper sauce, like Franks
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix.
Chill and serve. Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a meal
What types of meals do you make during the HOT Summer months?
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