January 01, 2013

Happy New Year (eat a little Texas caviar for good luck)


Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best in 2013. Can't hurt to eat black-eyed peas for a little extra good luck.


Texas Caviar
  • 2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained, or 1 cup dried black-eyed peas, cooked and drained*
  • 4 scallions, finely sliced
  • 3 jalapenos, minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro or parsley, minced
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped**(opt.)
  • 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh ground peppercorns
  1. Rinse and drain the beans and place in a bowl with the scallions, cilantro, tomatoes and peppers. 
  2. Put the oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt in a one cup glass measuring cup and mix together.
  3. Add the liquid to the beans and combine. 
  4. Place in a shallow glass (or other non-reactive) dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or a few days. (I marinated mine for 24 hours but sometimes it's much less, and when I'm really on top of things, it's three days.) Mix occasionally to distribute the marinade evenly. Grind some peppercorns over the top just before serving. 
  5. Serve with sturdy chips, like Food Should Taste Good Multi-Grain Chips.

 *To cook dried black-eyed peas: I used the quick-soak method. Place beans in a pot and cover beans generously with water. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Soak for one hour. Drain the beans and return them to the pot with fresh water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer until tender. Depending on your beans, this could take as little as 10 minutes or as long as 45. Don't let them get too mushy. You want them tender but whole.

**I really like Trader Joe's sun dried tomatoes that come in 3 ounce bags. They contain no oil, but unfortunately they contain sulfur dioxide. It's always something, isn't it?
 

22 comments:

  1. I love texas caviar, and I especially love that this recipe doesn't have sugar in it. This looks great!

    Happy new year! :)

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    1. This is my standard New Year's recipe — I make it every year, and it's delicious!

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  2. Mmmm.... sounds good. I ate some bean salad today; does that count? Happy new year!

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    1. Different places have different lucky foods. Black-eyed peas come from the South. In Italy they eat lentils. (Round foods, in general, are good luck.) In Spain it's 12 grapes at midnight. In Japan it's soba. Greens are good luck. Etc. I'm sure the beans you ate are good luck somewhere!

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  3. Happy new year! This one's a new one on me. Eating beans for good luck though? Count me in!

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    1. Same to you, Joey! Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's for good luck is a Southern U.S. tradition. I'm not from the South, but who cares? :)

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  4. I really missed the boat on the black-eyed peas this New Year; thanks for this one: anything that's meant for chips is okay in my book. Happy new year!

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    1. I almost missed it myself, but remembered just in time to assure my good luck for 2013. Happy New Year to you, too!

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  5. Happy New Year, Andrea!

    I love Texas caviar, and your version looks delicious. I think the addition of the lime juice would be wonderful! I will have to make it this weekend...hopefully the cut off for good luck from eating black eyed peas extends through the first weekend of the month!?

    Courtney

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    1. I think the first week of the new year should work. Every time I make it I wonder why I don't use black-eyed peas more often.

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  6. I should have eaten something lucky. Will it still be lucky if I eat it now? :)

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Maybe you did eat something lucky — round things, greens, grapes — lots of possibilities! If not, it's never too late in my opinion.

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  7. Happy New Year, Andrea! I agree--couldn't hurt, right? I think I should have cooked some up this year (ha ha). Looks like a great way to use those black-eyed peas.

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    1. Thanks! I only think about black-eyed peas around New Year's, which is too bad since they cook fast and taste so good. More black-eyed peas for supper in 2013 I say!

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  8. i have never actually heard of the eating black eyed peas new years tradition, but if they are made like this i might have to start! mmm this looks so good!

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    1. It's traditional in the South to eat them on New Year's for good luck. Seemed like a good idea to me. :)

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  9. I've never had Texas caviar before (and I didn't eat any blackeyed peas to welcome the new year - I'm just asking for trouble!) but it looks delicious! Black-eyed peas are such tasty little things. I like that you gave us the option to use parsley instead of cilantro, for those of use who think it tastes like soap! :)

    Happy New Year to you too! I hope you and your family (humans and furry ones) have a healthy and happy 2013!

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    1. Never had Texas caviar? What are you waiting for? It's yummy and easy to make. I like cilantro, but I use parsley and cilantro interchangeably.

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  10. Texas Caviar is one of those things I always enjoy at potlucks, but never make myself. I think in part because BW - Texan/southerner though he be, does not like black-eyed peas! But I bought myself a can of them (with snaps), gussied them up with liquid smoke, Cajun spices and cumin, and enjoyed the whole can by myself the other evening. :-)

    I first heard about the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year's when I was a kid living in Norfolk, VA. I'd always heard that eating black-eyed peas and collards is supposed to bring prosperity because they resemble coins and paper money. Much more recently I read this: "The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman's troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates," one of several explanations about the tradition from this article. Never heard that Confederacy angle before (and I sure wouldn't be trying to eat 365 peas in one day or put a germ-ridden coin in my food!)

    Happy New Year, Andrea! Here's to a new year of fun adventures and yummy vegan recipes! :-)

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    1. I remember reading the information about black-eyed peas, too. Thanks for adding it to the comments. Food is always more interesting when served with a little history.

      Black-eyed peas taste a little more savory to me than other legumes and I appreciate their earthy quality.

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  11. This sounds so healthy, filling, and delicious! I especially like the idea of using it as a sort of dip with crisp chips.

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    1. Anything tastes better when served with chips! :)

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