A Vegan Take on a Southern New Year’s Day Tradition {Blackeyed Peas & Collard Greens}
This post is a little bit late for New Year’s Day this year, but this take on a Southern tradition was good enough that I just had to write it up. If nothing else, it’s here and waiting for next year. I would have no qualms about making it just like this again! Though beans and greens should be a staple in your menu any time of year, not just on the first day of January. As I’ve mentioned a few times, black-eyed peas and collard greens are a staple to eat on New Year’s Day here in the Southern US. Along with cornbread, they are supposed to symbolize money and coins to bring you prosperity for the year ahead. I’d like to think they’ll at least bring you an abundance of good health if you eat them year-round.
Since some form of the combination of those items has graced our plate for a number of years now, I was happy to find out one of my awesome farmers was growing black-eyed peas specifically to sell for the end of the year. I bought a few bags of the dried beans at the last farmers market before the holidays, and cooked them up to freeze ahead of time. I also bought collard greens to slice up and freeze for the same purpose. You can easily find both in the grocery store (if you don’t wait too late), but as usual, they are sooooo much better locally sourced.
The first few years I tried making black-eyed peas and collards I used recipes from some of the awesome vegan chefs and bloggers who have great recipes already available. I didn’t grow up eating either in New Jersey, so I wasn’t very familiar with how best to prepare them initially. Plus many of the traditional recipes call for some form of pork to cook with the greens. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to add lots of flavor without any animal products (one of the great lessons to learn for anyone trying Veganuary). This year I opted to throw some things together based on experience and what we tend to enjoy. Smoked paprika is always a favorite, and celery seed is another one that adds an almost salty undertone to any dish. Plus golden turmeric should be another regular in any New Year’s dish!
Cornbread is traditionally served with the meal to soak up all the good liquid (aka: pot liquor or likker if you’re really Southern) from cooking the vegetables, but I opted for polenta this year. The beans and greens were local, but I did “cheat” and go with premade polenta. Nothing wrong with making things a little easier sometimes. The polenta I kept simple by simply slicing it into rounds before cooking in a pan and dressing with a mustard sauce. I loved the tang of mustard with the sweet corn flavor and the bitterness of the accompanying greens!
The veggie mixture itself came out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. So simple to put together, all it takes is a little patience to let the greens really cook down so they almost melt in your mouth. Yes, I just said that about collard greens. They have a nice bitter bite when eaten raw, then they mellow out and become almost luxurious when cooked down. This mix would be great on a bed of rice (as is traditional for Hoppin’ John), sweet potatoes or with some flatbread on the side. As I said above, you don’t need to save this just for the first of the year!
Black-Eyed Peas & Greens with Sliced Polenta & Mustard Sauce
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled & chopped
- 3 stalks celery, trimmed & sliced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground celery seed
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
- 1 bunch collard greens, tough stems removed & roughly chopped
- 1 tube basil polenta
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (or dijon)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- water as needed to thin out the sauce
Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add in the onions and celery and cook until starting to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a bit of broth if needed to prevent sticking. Next stir in the garlic and spices, cooking for an additional minute.
Add in the broth, peas and greens. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for an hour. Stir occasionally and check to make sure you have enough broth to keep the mixture moist. Add more broth/water if needed, but not so much it turns into soup. 😉
While the beans and greens cook down, slice your polenta into half-inch rounds. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add in a bit of good cooking oil if you like before adding in as many slices as you can to the pan without overcrowding. I had to make mine in two batches. Cook on one side for 4-5 minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional 4 minutes to warm through and slightly brown the slices.
To make the mustard dressing mix together the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust to your liking, adding a few tablespoons of water as needed to thin out the sauce to be able to spoon over the polenta.
Sprinkle some black pepper over the finished bowl or add a dash of hot sauce for extra heat. Enjoy that bowl full of prosperity!
Perhaps not 100% traditional, but this type of bowl most certainly has become a tradition to enjoy in our household to kick off the year. A lot of people want to eat healthier in the new year, so hopefully this inspires some of you to give some plant-based dishes a try. As I wrote earlier in the week, I love the idea of Veganuary to get people exited to do just that. However, as always, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Perhaps just use all of the foodie motivation to eat some more vegetables and incorporate a few great new meals or sides in a sustainable lifestyle shift. That’s always the goal for me: to encourage people to make changes for a lifetime of health and happiness enjoying delicious plant forward meals!
How many of you enjoyed a healthy bowl of traditional foods for New Year’s Day? Any traditions where you are from that you enjoy incorporating?
