Posted by Janet Harriett on Jan.01, 2010

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Southern tradition holds that eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings luck in the new year. Whether or not they’re lucky, they are healthy. Black eyed peas are chock full of fiber, protein, potassium and iron. Their health benefits are usually outweighed by the sodium, nitrates and fat in recipes that call for cooking them with bacon, ham or sausage.

This vegan black eyed pea soup recipe is a simple start to the New Year.  Cooked in a slow cooker, the beans don’t need to be soaked the night before, so you preserve the nutrients and flavor usually lost with discarding the soak water.

Bean and Black Eyed Pea Soup

2 cups mixed dried beans - I use 1/2 cup each black eyed peas, small red beans, cranberry beans and great northern beans
8 cups water
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
2 cups (1 can) chopped tomato, undrained
salt and black pepper to taste, if desired

Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Add extra water as necessary to keep the beans covered. About 1 hour before serving time, add the tomatoes. Remove bay leaves prior to serving. Serve with hot sauce

For black eyed peas in vegetarian and vegan dishes other than soup, check out these recipes:

Gluten Free Vegan Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens from Gluten Free Bay

Black Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes from The Veggie Table

Marinated Black Eyed Pea and Rice Salad from Beverly Lynn Bennett, the Vegan Chef

Vegetarian Hoppin’ John, from In a Vegetarian Kitchen with Nava Atlas

Black Eyed Pea Curry, from Indian Vegetarian Cooking in an American Kitchen

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Posted under Food, Nutrition & Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Main Dishes.