Happy New Year to ALL!
May serenity, wisdom and kindness find us all this year and may abundant health become the given, the benchmark, that allows for freedom & ease each and every day for all of us.
I have a little “good luck” recipe for you today!
Comforting, unassuming, highly satisfying black eyed peas served with coconut rice :: the perfect start-on-the-right-foot New Year’s meal.
It’s apparently an old southern US tradition to eat BEPs on New Year’s day as a call for good fortune and abundance. Not a thing we usually do in Québec but hey!, never too late to add in a new wholesome tradition to the roster.
This humble legume’s story is said to date back to more than 500AD Rosh Hashana; it has “traditional celebration fare” status during the Jewish holiday. Or so I read…
It’s combination with rice is said to have been brought to our side of the pond by West Africans who, through the somber story of their arrival in American soil, managed to hold on to this simple, grounding and nurturing tradition.
That being said, a meal is a meal is a meal; it’s supposed ability to bring about “good luck” shall be judged by the person making and eating it! 😉 I eat it ’cause it’s delish :: if a little more goodness comes my way with a few fuss free spoonfuls, you can bet I’ll take it.
What I do know for sure though is that legumes are the most underrated food in the “Shiny Health & Wellness” online world. They’re not sexy, I’ll give you that!
Being extremely inexpensive makes them somewhat less “luxurious and covetable” than that 15$ a serving bright pink, dragonfruit-and-all-the-superfoods utterly instagramable smoothie bowl! I’m sure you’ll agree though, a bean dish is more real life and acceptable for most families out there…
They are most definitely usually associated with simpler, “old-style peasant family” times and there is something quite charming about that for me…
In my book, they are ALSO associated with ::
*For a 1 cup cooked serving
- Half your day’s fiber requirements :: the grand (and also underrated!?) gift of regularity and practically free microbiome food/ prebiotics.
- Half your day’s copper requirements :: useful in iron transport and energy production.
- An impressive 85-90% of all the folate you need in a day :: essential to proper cell division and DNA synthesis. *Any pregnant/ trying to conceive ladies in da house!? Dietary folate should rank high on your priority list.
- 13g of super well-balanced protein building amino acids and an especially rich source of essential phenylalanine, a dopamine precursor :: think motivation, satisfaction and pleasuuurree!
Combined with brown rice, spinach and a few more basic veg kitchen staples; you get medicine that most definitely doesn’t require a teaspoon of sugar to help it go down.
Make it, any day of the year, to bring a little more health, and mayyybe some good fortune, about…
Stay curious and humble!
A truly happy New Year to you,
Vicky x
Thyme Scented Black Eyed Peas over Coconut Spinach Rice
Ingredients – BEPs
- 1 tbsp neutral, high smoke point oil such as avocado
- *or water sauté if avoiding oil
- 2 large stalks of celery, finely diced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
- *Could be scrubbed instead of peeled is skin is fresh and thin.
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 big yellow potato, scrubbed and diced in ½” pieces
- 1 ¼ cup dried black eyed peas, soaked in water overnight, water discarded and thoroughly rinsed and drained
- 3 cup unsalted/ low salt veg stock
- 1 red chili of your choice, split lengthwise
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- S&P, to taste
Method
In a heavy bottom pot on medium heat, sauté celery, onion, carrot and parsnip until lightly golden. About 10 minutes. Add in garlic, bay leaves, thyme and chili. Cook for an extra 3-4 minutes. Add in a touch of boiling water if things seem to want to start sticking.
Add stock, beans and potato and bring to boil on high heat.
Bring the temperature down to simmer, cover, and cook 90min.
Ingredients – Rice
- 1 tsp neutral, high smoke point oil such as avocado
- *Or water sauté if avoiding oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 strips tempeh bacon
- *or Paradis Végétarien Vegan Bacon, if available to you.
- 1 cup brown basmati
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- If you are on a journey where saturated fats are being limited, go for light milk!
- 100ml water or unsalted/ low salt vegetable stock
- 3 “nuggets” (85g) frozen spinach
- S&P to taste, keeping in mind the veg bacon is salty
Method
In a saucepan on medium heat, sauté onion and tempeh/ veg bacon in a tsp of oil until golden brown.
Add in the rice, mix well and toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in coconut milk and water/ stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to med-low or low to simmer, covered, for 20-25minutes.
When rice is almost cooked, add in the frozen spinach nuggets on top of the rice and put the lid back on for 3-4 minutes until mostly thawed.
Mix well, adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve topped with beans and their broth and top with thai basil// mint// basil, minced chilis, a lil’ more crispy vegan bacon, green onions…
Combine with a super simple green salad with tomato, refreshing cucumber and copious amounts of lemon juice to “cut” through the richness of the coconut fat and you have yourself a well-balanced, ultra-satisfying meal.
Enjoy!
Whole recipe nutritional info broken down for 5 servings (side salad not included) :: 560kcal as 55% whole food carbs, 32% fat and 12.5% protein. 15g of fiber, 19g of protein, 6mg of iron, 940mg of potassium, 2mg zinc and a rich source of B1, B6, vitamin A, C, K, copper, magnesium, manganese…
*Inspiration Rodger Mooking on Marylin Dennis Show “Lipsmacking Chicken Rice”
vbnaturopathe.com 