Lucky days ahead
and Super Lucky 2025 Black Eyed Pea Stew (with video)
Last day of 2024
Nothing makes me happier than a big pot of beans. More importantly today I am making a big pot of Rancho Gordo Super Lucky 2025 Black Eyed Peas. I do not eat meat so I did not use the bacon that they suggest. I added more carrots because I only had 1 and a ½ stalks of celery and I added a little extra garlic because…garlic!
And if there is one thing I like to do in the kitchen when I feel comfortable and even when I don’t is to use the items I have in my fridge. It gives the essence of the recipe, a nod to the original creator, so to speak, but also cleans out my fridge and prevents me from having to go out and buy similar veggies. I always give credit to the recipe developer. I think they are the best. I also like to show that we are allowed to color outside the lines. Normally it will be a beautiful picture–some days it won’t. As I wrote in the linked article I didn’t always feel comfortable subbing ingredients, adding more or less, or omitting. Right now if you follow recipes to the letter, I am here to tell you your dish will also come out yummy because the person who wrote the recipe has done the work to ensure that result.
If you think you would you like to ease into substitutions in your kitchen? An easy way to start, use an onion instead of buying leeks or a red onion instead of shallots. Something small because you will begin to see that it works. Next time you will try something a little bigger. Before you know it, it’s second nature. When I have the proper ingredients and on occasion I do, it is a celebration because I do love the subtle flavor of a leek or what shallots do to the perfect mustard vinaigrette. But one way to start feeling confidence in the kitchen is when you know you have options. You don’t have to drop everything and go back to the market or worse, give up on the lovely meal you were about to make. Ask yourself, what else would taste good in this? Then, trust it will.
I made this last year for my News Year’s post, so this year I decided to make a little video to go with it. For those of you who like to see the process or have a cheerleader to help you make the recipe here you go. I wrote my changes to the recipe below. Enjoy and Happy New Year!
The original recipe with the bacon on the Rancho Gordo website is here
Ingredients
2 stalks celery, chopped (I had 1.5)
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped (I added 3)
2 small to medium white onions, chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed (I added 4)
1 pound uncooked Rancho Gordo Black Eyed Peas, cleaned and rinsed (I added water in a large bowl and soaked them overnight)
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I used 1 tablespoon of Mutti brand tomato paste)
½ cup whole canned tomatoes with some juice, roughly chopped (1 15 oz can of Hunt's fire roasted diced tomatoes)
Makes 4 to 6 big bowls-about 12 small servings
In a soup pot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and let the pot heat up for about 2 minutes over medium heat, add the celery, onion, carrot, and garlic and saute until soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When the vegetables are soft, add the Black Eyed Peas and enough water to cover the peas by about an inch and a half. Stir, add the bay leaf, and then raise the heat to high and bring the contents to a rapid boil. Keep boiling, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
Reduce to a gentle simmer until the peas are soft, about 35 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste and the salt. Stir and then gently heat through over medium heat, about 15 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Contact
If you have any questions on eating beans consistently for gut health now and into the near future, please email me at Denisemancieri1@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below if there are topics you would like to see.
Please share this newsletter with others if you find it may assist them in adding beans to their diet. Or click the heart, below left, so I know you were here. Thank you!
Note: I am not a doctor. I am a teacher and an educator with an earned doctorate in educational leadership. I enjoy research and I can distill large amounts of information into easily understood and digestible pieces allowing people to understand what is happening to their body and possible steps to reverse it with food as medicine. I have healed my own GI issues through choices with food. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean protocol diet, I meditated and still do and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans, alongside a healthy diet and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss nutritional options before you change any course of action with your health.