Tuesday, October 23 Hoppin’ John (The Vegan Table) and Steamed Broccoli Rating: 4.25

We seriously needed some beans, rice & veggies after the last few days. Even though one of us (me) is in love with the mighty chickpea, the other one is a little bit into black-eyed peas. I wanted a different dish than our usual b.e. pea recipe (Hottie Black Eyed Peas and Greens from AFR). I settled on the Hoppin’ John in Vegan Table. It’s pretty easy to make and is also very healthy – black eyed peas, brown rice, red bell pepper, tomatoes, onions & garlic. The first few times I made it I thought it was a little bland, so I tweaked it a little – it calls for “salt to taste” and I really feel like it needs almost a full teaspoon. This may have to do with the fact that we use dry beans and cook them fresh rather than canned. I also use a LOT more garlic than called for (5 cloves vs. 2). I think the tweaks helped a lot because it was a lot more flavorful this time. It’ll be in more regular rotation now. We really wanted GREEEEEEEN after the last few days of less than stellar eating, so I steamed some broccoli and seasoned it with crushed red pepper flakes, garlic salt and a little homemade vegan butter.