Purple Hull Peas

2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony Meal

When my friend Debbie asked me about the recipe for the purple hull peas above, I was very happy to post it.

Little background...my son Chris is a vegetarian and cooks just about every day.  His vegetable of choice these days is peas.  He cooks just about any kind of peas too, cream, blackeye, purple hull..etc.  I bought these peas at the Farmer's Market in Beaumont a couple of weeks ago.  They were fresh and that makes such a difference in taste.

Since Christopher is a vegetarian and my daughter Holly used to have a pet pig, Millie, that lived with us, pork is not really a good choice around here for seasoning peas or beans.  Millie eventually got too large to live with us (she's a big girl...over 200 lbs.).  She now lives very comfortably at the ranch in San Antonio with her little buddy Mudd, one of our other pot bellied pigs (we have 2 more named Pork Chop and Maxwell)!!



  LITTLE MILLIE WALKER



I found a good replacement for bacon though.  It is by the company MorningStar Farms and they are veggie bacon strips.  It has a smoky flavor and a good bacon-y taste.  It is also cholesterol free and has only 4.5 grams of fat in 2 strips.

I usually fix my peas with bacon, onion and seasoning (salt and pepper) and with chicken broth but Christopher cooked them for me this time and he added some poblano and jalapeno peppers.  It was so yummy.  It had such a great flavor...I literally could eat this over rice for a one-dish meal!

I am going to give you two recipes for Purple Hull Peas.  The first one is a spicy, mexican style recipe.  It would be great in place of Charra Beans and as an accompaniment to fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, etc.  The second one is more of the traditional style Purple Hull Peas.

Peppered Purple Hull Peas

2 - bags Purple Hull Peas

6-8 strips of bacon or veggie bacon strips

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (only if using veggie bacon strips)

1/2-Poblano Pepper, chopped

1/2-Jalapeno Pepper, chopped

1-Medium Onion, chopped

10- cloves of Garlic, minced

1-box Vegetable Broth (organic if you can find it)

handful of fresh Cilantro

2-teaspoons Cumin

2-teaspoons Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper
(you could add canned diced tomatoes as well for another layer of flavor)

Fry the bacon or cook the bacon strips, according to instructions, in a large fry pan until crispy.  Remove bacon strips and set aside.  If you used real bacon, pour off all but about a tablespoon or 2 of the bacon grease and add the peppers, onion, and garlic.  If you used veggie bacon strips, add olive oil and next 4 ingredients.  Saute until veggies are softened.  Add purple hull peas and saute a few minutes so that the peas can absorb flavor.  Add vegetable broth.  The broth should cover the peas, but if not you can add water.  Add the rest of the ingredients including the bacon.  Cover and simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes or until tender.

Fresh Home-Cooked Purple Hull Peas

2 - bags Purple Hull Peas

6-8 strips of bacon or veggie bacon strips

1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil (if you used veggie bacon strips)

1-medium Onion, chopped

1-box of Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth (organic if you can find it)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fry the bacon or cook the bacon strips, according to instructions, in a large fry pan until crispy.  Remove bacon strips and set aside.  If you used real bacon, pour off all but about a tablespoon or 2 of the bacon grease.  If you used veggie bacon strips, add olive oil.  Add the onions and saute until softened.  (I love the smell of onion cooking in bacon grease)  Add the purple hull peas and saute a few minutes so that the peas can absorb flavors.  Add the bacon and the vegetable or chicken broth. The broth should cover the peas but if not add water.  Cover and simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes or until tender.

FACTS ABOUT PEAS WORTH KNOWING.....
Purple Hull Peas are full of good reasons to eat them.  They are a wonderful source of protein and dietary fiber.  In addition, they are rich in folate.  Folate is a form of vitamin B that has been found important in the prevention of anemia, cancer, and birth defects.  In fact, orange juice, which is often advertised as being a great source of folate, has only about 10 percent of the amount found in a serving of southern peas!! 

ENJOY!
"Click For Printable Recipe For Peppered Peas"
"Click for Printable Recipe For Home-Cooked Purple Hull Peas"

Get Healthy...Get Juicing!!

Okay, so I know that incorporating fruits and vegetables in the diet are one of  the keys to a healthy lifestyle but making myself juice on a regular basis is a battle.  I'm a lazy juicer!  But I don't want to be, so I am hoping that by writing about it on my blog it will motivate me to be a twice-a-weeker!!


My goal is to stay away from a daily handful of pills and regular doctor visits as long as possible and I want my family to enjoy the benefits of juicing!  

Look at how dry the pulp is in the left chute

I did some investigating online into what kind of juicer to purchase and I decided to get an Omega VRT 350 juicer.  I had another brand for a while but I felt like I was not getting the maximum amount of juice out of it. 


With the Omega VRT 350, the extracted pulp is basically devoid of liquid which means you get more juice using less vegetables.  Another reason I bought this juicer was for the warranty.  It has a 10-year full warranty and it is made in the USA.  


It is easy to use and it is easy to clean up.  I don't put any of the parts in the dishwasher...I wash it by hand but it is worth it (and for me to say that is huge)!

I am telling you the juice that comes out of this juicer is like nothing you will buy in a grocery store.  

It tastes amazing and fresh.  

My husband absolutely loves it when I juice oranges and I am not an orange juice drinker but....I love a big glass of freshly juiced oranges.  


And pineapple juice....oh my gosh....it tastes nothing like pineapple juice out of a can.  It actually tastes like a tropical drink.  

Not too long ago, I juiced a combination of carrots, apples, and ginger.  I'm not going to lie,  it wasn't my favorite....but knowing how good it is for me helped.

 If you are still not convinced....

Below is a list of some of the health benefits of carrots (taken from livestrong.com)

 1.  It is a fat-burning food

 2.  Lowers blood cholesterol levels

 3.  Keeps vision healthy 

 4.  Protects the immune system

 5.  Potassium content in carrots regulates blood pressure levels

 6.  Contains Falcarinol which has been linked to the reduction of tumor formation

 7.  Helps maintain healthy urinary and digestive tracts

 8.  Cleanses liver by ridding of bile and fat

 9.  Nourishes hair, nails, and skin

10. Loaded with vitamins and minerals

(If you have blood sugar issues, you should limit carrot juice to 4 ounces daily.)

These benefits are highest when carrots are either eaten raw or freshly juiced!

When I bought my juicer, I also bought the book below (I ordered it off of amazon.com).  It has recipes for energy, health, weight-loss and for things such as hair loss, upset stomach, blemishes, indigestion and more.  It is a great resource to have along with the juicer!  

 

This has got me thinking that I will take a drive to the Farmer's Market in the morning and see what veggies I can find to juice!

If you have a favorite juice recipe...please share!!  It would make my day to hear from y'all!

Happy Juicing!

(haha!  I know...so goofy)

  

Texas Homemade Salsa

Fresh Salsa

I love summertime and all the fresh fruit and veggies that come with this time of year.  Some friends gave me fresh tomatoes out of their garden!   Let me just say there is no comparison between a grocery store tomato and one that comes straight out of the garden.  I have had vegetable gardens before (not for a while though) and I would love going out and seeing what is growing and getting to pick and prepare something that I grew myself....so satisfying and it always tastes better.  I miss not having a garden but the past few years with the kids in college and buying some land out of town, we find ourselves on the road a lot and a garden requires daily attention.  I am so thankful for friends who share their gift of gardening and "pickings" with me!

This weekend I decided that I better do something with all these tomatoes before they go bad and tried my hand at Fresh Salsa.  I have made salsa for years but with canned tomatoes.  We live in Texas, home of Tex-Mex, and salsa is a pretty frequent staple at our home.  We put it on everything!!  It took a couple of hours to tweak it and get just the right blend of flavors.  But finally, after 20 garlic cloves (and breath that required several arms distance away from anyone I wanted to talk to), I think I found a keeper....the final product.  Hope you enjoy it and try your hand at it.  The health benefits alone are worth it.  It is full of antioxidants!  My friend, Nita, told me that the cilantro in it pulls heavy metals, such as mercury, out of your body!  Who knew?!?!  Try it with chips, on fish tacos, scrambled eggs, dressing for taco salad, or mixed with black beans.  Let me know what you think and how you used it!

Fresh Salsa

10 - Tomatoes, medium-size (about the size of a tennis ball)
  1 - Sweet Onion (about the size of a baseball or a little larger)
  1 - Jalapeno, large
  1 - Bell Pepper or Poblano Pepper, medium size
20 - Garlic Cloves (yes 20 it is not a typo)
1/3- Bunch of fresh Cilantro
1/2-1 teaspoon  Ground Cumin
Salt to taste
Juice of fresh Lime to your liking

Make a small slit in tomato skin.  Drop tomatoes in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes or until you see skin draw apart where the slit was made.  Remove tomatoes from water and place in ice water to stop cooking process.  Remove skins and set aside.

In a food processor, add other ingredients, except tomatoes, until you get the consistency you want.  I did not want a chunky salsa so I pureed them.  Add tomatoes and pulse until all is combined.  Add salt and lime juice to your liking. Enjoy!