Vegetarian Hoppin John

Happy New Year!

Thought we would celebrate this year with a little Hoppin' John for good luck for 2015.

Hoppin' John is a black eyed peas and rice dish that they serve in the South.  It is a meal that is to bring good luck to you in the year when eaten on New Years Day.

I had a hard time finding a vegetarian recipe for Hoppin' John.  A lot of the recipes call for cooking with a ham hock or some bacon.  Not going to happen here, so, I decided to wing it and come up with my own Hoppin' John recipe.

Here goes:

Hoppin John

2 1/2 cups of Vegetable broth
1 cup of Farro*
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Sunflower oil
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can black eyed peas
Cajun seasoning

Bring Farro to boil in Vegetable broth and cook until done.

In a pot, cook onion in Sunflower oil until onion is translucent.  Add tomato, black eyed peas and Farro.  Mix.  Add in your Cajun seasoning.  Heat through.

*I used Farro instead of rice.  You can substitute rice (white or brown) for this recipe.  I just like Farro.

I didn't have any Cajun spice on hand, but, put some ground (cayenne) red pepper and some cumin.  I even added one clove of garlic.  You can even add a jalapeño!  Mmm!  Delicious!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Beginnings

How do you start off your New Year?

Do you make a New Year's Resolution?

Do you go on a diet or start a new exercise plan?

Are you planning on decluttering your house/life?

Do you choose a word for the year?

Maybe you can start a daily journal?  Or a gratitude journal.

Maybe it's time to kick the toxic people out of your life

Maybe you can try a new craft, learn how to crochet or quilt?

Maybe it's time for a new job?

Of course, you don't always have to do these things at the beginning of the year.  You can start a new thing at any time.

A great way to start off the year is with food!

Hoppin John is a dish they serve in the South that has Black Eyed Peas and rice.  The meal is to bring good luck to you when eaten on New Years Day.  You can find a link to my Vegetarian Hoppin John HERE.

Another treat is to make Vasilopita or Greek New Year's Bread.  This bread is made once a year to honor St. Basil on his name day, which happens to be on New Year's Day (today!).   The Vasilopita is cut on New Year's Eve.  The story goes when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, the lights are turned off and then turned on again to mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year.  The Vasilopita is cut into slices.  There is a gold coin hidden inside the bread.  The custom is that whoever finds the coin will have good luck for the entire year.  That recipe can be found HERE.

I have some other fun food ideas.  Click on the recipes tab and find something new to try.

Cheers to 2020!

Happy New Year!

 Well, we survived 2020!  It's time to look forward to 2021!

I don't know about you, but, I think I will hold off on buying a planner for this year.  

I do know that I will definitely be celebrating by making a big batch of Hoppin' John.  Eating black eyed peas on New Years Day is supposed to bring luck in the new year.  If you are in need of a vegetarian Hoppin' John recipe, click here.  

I also enjoy making a Greek sweet bread called, Vasilopita.  The tradition is as follows.  When the clock strikes midnight, the lights are turned off and then turned on again to mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year.  The Vasilopita is cut into slices.  Inside the Vasilopita there is a hidden gold coin.  The custom is, whoever finds the gold coin in their slice of bread will have good luck for the whole year.   Click here for the recipe.  

How do you start of your New Year?  

Do you do anything special?

Veganuary

 We are halfway through Veganuary and I thought I would check in and see how everyone is doing on their journey.  If you haven't tried the vegan diet, now is a great time to test it out.  There are plenty of easy vegan dishes for you to make and most restaurants are willing to make an entree vegan upon request.

Oh, you don't want to be inconvenienced. 

You are worried about what you will eat for the day.  

You don't care about the health benefits of a plant-based diet.  

Well, while you complain, consider these facts:  Going vegan for just one day saves

40 pounds of grain*

1100 gallons of water**

30 square feet of forest

1 animal

20 pounds of CO2

*That grain can feed hungry populations around the world

**equivalent to four months' worth of showers

I'll make it easy for you to get started.  Here is a list of vegan recipes here on the blog.  Pick out a few and plan your day so you will know what you can eat.  

Appetizers:

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Avocado Jalapeño hummus

Red Lentil Tomato Soup

Roasted Cauliflower

Tuscan Soup

Entrees:

Black Beans, Cuban Style  add rice to make as a meal

Black Beans and Spanish Rice
Black Bean Tortilla Pie
Broccoli Salad
Cajun Tofu, Sweet Potato, Cilantro Rice Bowl
Cauliflower Fried Rice, Vegan

Chick Pea Salad Sandwiches
Chick Pea Tikka Masala

Collard Greens with Beans

Crispy Tofu 

Dolmades Vegetarian

Eggplant Patties
Fakes (Greek Lentil Soup)

Falafel, Baked 

Green Beans (Greek Style)

Jambalaya, Vegan

Manicotti

Meatballs, Vegan

Mexican Quinoa Bake

Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
Pad Thai, Vegan

Poblanos, Roasted and Stuffed

Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Penne Pasta
Putanesca Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta

Tabbouleh

Vegetable Stir Fry 
Vegetarian Chili
Vegetarian Hoppin John

And, of course, dessert:

Black Bean Brownies (Vegan)
Black Bean Protein Bites

Brownies, Vegan

Brownies, Vegan 2 

Chocolate Chip Blondies, Vegan

Energy Bites

I hope you give vegan a try, even if it's just for one day.  

If you decide to try vegan for a day, let me know how it went in the comments below.