New Year's Black Eyed Peas

Let me start by saying I am generally NOT a fan of black eyed peas. My parents have made them all of my life and I have all but flat out refused to eat them until today. It's time I put on my big girl bib and try them out. After the clock struck 12 last night, I threw all of this in the crock pot, and it was ready by lunch time today. Surprisingly, they were not terrible. Who knew? I'm liking the world of dried beans/peas so far. Next up to try is curried chick peas with stewed tomatoes and butternut squash. I'll let you know how that goes. Hopefully I can make those photos look less gross than these. :)

Ingredients:
1 pkg dried black eyed peas
2 tsp salt
1 box (or 2.5 cans) of chicken broth, low sodium
4 pieces of bacon, sliced
1 vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic


Instructions:

1. Bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Pour in dried peas, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain peas.
2. Add bacon, salt, onion, garlic, and peas to crock pot. Cover with chicken broth.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until peas are tender.

As a note, these were pretty good with some hot sauce as well. Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

This is the simplest, most delicious crock pot meal that I would classify as "somewhat healthy." You should definitely try it if you like black bean soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag dried black beans
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 box chicken stock
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• sour cream for garnish
• 1 ripe avocado for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a large pot of water, bring dried beans to a boil, and let cook for 2 minutes. Let soak for 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
2. In your crock pot, pour 1/2 the box of chicken stock, and add all the seasonings. Chop onion into 1/2 pieces, and add to crock pot.
3. To crock pot, add 2 cups of the bean-soaking water, then drain the rest of the beans and add to the pot. Cook on medium-low for about 6 hours. Add remainder of broth halfway through cooking time.
4. When beans are tender, blend soup together with hand blender, to the desired consistency. Serve with avocado chunks and sour cream.

Its really yummy, and makes 4-6 servings!