Hoppin John with Greens

  in Main Dishes, Recipes

Adapted from Vegetarian Times
Serves 4

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 bunch collard greens or kale, washed, stems removed, chopped
1 cup smoked ham, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
1 15-oz can black eyed peas, rinsed, drained*
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional: hot sauce

  1. Whisk together vinegar, honey, and sea salt and set aside. Cook the collard greens in a pot of boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ham, onion, and celery. Cook until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and chili powder and cook 1 minute more. Add collard greens, ¼ cup of reserved cooking water, and vinegar mixture. Cover, and cook about 10 minutes.
  3. Add rice and beans to pan, stir in remaining ¼ cup of cooking liquid, and cook 3 minutes until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hot sauce if desired. Serve with spelt cornbread.

*To cook dried black-eyed peas,  place 1 cup black-eyed peas in large saucepan with 3 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer, until peas are soft when pierced with a fork, 30 – 45 minutes. Drain.