Growing up in the South, my grandmother always makes black eyed peas, collard greens and corn bread for our New Years day meal. Southerners have a ton of traditions and one of them is that you always have to eat enough peas and collards for good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year.
Like a lot of Southerners, we eat collards throughout the year and have them as a side with a lot of our meals. My grandmother’s recipe is the best! Her secret ingredient in her collards is a little honey and vinegar mixed with enough seasoning so that the broth is good enough on its own! My grandmother calls the broth left in a pot of collards, “Pot Liquor,” and it is absolutely delicious with cornbread.
Another Southern recipe centered on the New Years tradition of black eyed peas is a healthy and delicious dip called Southern Caviar. It’s a great dip to bring to your New Years party to share with family and friends. My family has made this for years. It’s one of my favorites and is a yummy vegan recipe.
*I used organic canned black eyed peas but you could use dried black eyed peas soaked overnight and then prepared the way you like. There is an easy way to prepare the Italian Dressing instead of using the store bought kind full of preservatives and additives (recipe below). This time around I used Whole Food’s organic Italian Dressing.
Southern Caviar
- 1 (10 oz) can organic diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 2 (15 oz) cans organic black-eyed peas, drained or approx. 2 cups of freshly prepared black eyed peas
- 1 (15 oz) can organic whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers
- 8 oz bottle organic Italian Dressing
- 4 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and let sit overnight to combine flavors. Serve with your favorite veggies or chips. It’s great by itself too! 🙂
Recipe for Italian Dressing:
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 minced garlic clove.
Combine in jar and shake. Let sit for at least 2 hours in frig. Shake before using.
Happy New Years everyone!
