TEX-MEX BLACKEYE PEAS

If you are like me, you probably had never put tex-mex together with blackeye peas.  Well, that was before a friend of mine, Dolores, brought me some homemade chicken tamales and these awesome peas.  They absolutely topped any charra beans I have ever had.  Of course I had to have the recipe.  I mean this was a dish I knew I was going to want to make over and over again.  She did one better, she came over and showed me how to make them.

Now, she did use canned peas and I have done that before.  If you are short on time, you can use canned peas, but last week, for Christopher's birthday, I decided to use frozen peas and I think they were better.  But then I always prefer fresh or frozen.  Also, now that I have a 16 month old grandson, I did not want these to be spicy or hot so I did replace the jalapenos with bell pepper which was just as good, just not as hot.  I used a beef and pork mix sausage with green onions (just because I like green onions) but you could use any sausage you want.  I also tried to trim the bacon of any excess fat on the ends.  When you cut the sausage and the bacon, make sure you dice them into small pieces.  

All in all, this is a very easy recipe...just a little time consuming.  Trust me, you will not mind the extra effort when you taste them and you will enjoy the oohs and ahhs from your friends and family!  Perfect tex-mex side!

TEX-MEX BLACKEYE PEAS
(Serves 8-10)

4 regular cans Blackeye Peas

OR

2 regular size bags frozen Blackeye Peas (cook according to directions on bag)

6 Roma Tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 small Onion, diced
6-8 cloves Garlic, minced
1-2 Jalapenos, chopped very small (or use equal amount of bell pepper)
1 bunch of Cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 package Bacon (8-10 pieces), diced small
1 regular package Sausage, cut into small pieces (I used a pork-beef mix with green onion)
1-2 cans of Chicken Broth (I use Campbell's)
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon and sausage. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of grease off and add onions. Cook until onions are transparent.  Add garlic and cook for about 1 minutes to release the flavor and then add jalapenos and tomatoes.  Cook for about 2 more minutes.  

Add the peas with juice to the bacon mixture.  Add the chicken broth and cilantro.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE